P. Karunakaran, MP, has stressed the need to implement programmes to conserve varietal diversity, including traditional varieties of crops, to ensure sustainable agricultural development. He said efforts were also needed to see that the local farmers were actively involved in the conservation of agro-biodiversity.
Mr. Karunakaran was inaugurating an awareness-cum-training programme on the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Right Act (PPVFRA), hosted by the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) here, at Choyangode in Kinanur-Karindalam panchayat, near Neeleswaram, on Friday.
Delivering the keynote address, Director P. Chowdappa urged farmers to make use of the provisions in the Act that recognised and protected the rights of the farmers in respect of their contribution made in conserving, improving, and making available plant genetic resources for the development of the new plant varieties.
K. Lakshmanan, president, Kinanur-Karindalam panchayat, presided over the inaugural function. Paper presentations on varietal diversities in spice crops, farmer varieties in rice and registration under the PPVFRA, farmer varieties in coconut and planting material production were made by K. Johnson, Principal Scientist, Indian Institute of Spices and Research, Kozhikode; Vanaja, Associate Professor, Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pilicode; K. Samsudeen, Senior CPCRI Scientist; and Vishnu, Agricultural Officer, Kinanur-Karindalam.
C. Thamban, Principal Scientist, CPCRI, was the moderator.
