Birsa Agricultural University was awarded the Plant Variety Protection Entitlement Award by Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare for its work in protecting plant varieties and advocating rights of farmers and horticulturists.
BAU submitted the largest number of plant varieties from Jharkhand to Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Authority (PPV and FR), an agency of the Ministry which gave the award to the leading agricultural university.
During a national seminar on ‘Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right (PPV & FR)’ at New Delhi, BAU Vice- Chancellor Dr George John and Director (Extension Education) Dr RP Singh Ratan jointly received the award from Dr MS Swaminathan, who is considered to be the Father of Green Revolution in India.
Director General, ICAR Dr Trilochan Mahapatra, Former ICAR DG Vl Chopra and Union Agriculture Secretary RS Paroda, along with Vice-Chancellors and Directors from various agricultural universities and representatives from farmers’ bodies were also present on this occasion.
Vice- Chancellor, BAU Dr George John appreciated the commendable efforts of the Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVK) of Jharkhand under PPV and FR programme of Government of India.
“Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare established Protection of Plant Vatieties and Farmers Right Authority (PPV and FRA) for effective conservation and utilization of farmer’s plant varieties through Krishi Vigyan Kendras of different states” stated BAU Director Ratan.
He further said that the KVKs of Jharkhand were closely associated with local farmers and played a pivotal role in conservation of farmer’s plant varieties indigenous to a particular area. Within last two years, KVKs have organised more than 35 awareness-cum-training programmes on protection of plant varieties and identified and registered more than 1800 farmer’s plant varieties for PVP Entitlement at PPV and FRA, New Delhi. This has given a boost to plant varieties protection across the nation, he said.
Dr Ratan further added that during last year five KVKs, namely those in Chatra, Palamau, Simdega, Gumla and Ranchi, jointly received the first prize of PPV and FRA for special contribution in protection of local crop varieties at Koraput, Odisha during national seminar.