Shivraj Singh Chouhan today participated in the ‘Plant Genome Saviour Awards Ceremony’, celebrating the Silver Jubilee of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FRA) Act, 2001 and the 21st Foundation Day of the PPV&FRA, held at C. Subramaniam Hall, Pusa Campus, New Delhi. On this occasion, the Union Minister felicitated select farmer awardees from across the country for their outstanding contributions to seed conservation and biodiversity.
Among the awardees were the Community Seed Bank of Telangana, Shiksha Niketan of Purba Bardhaman, West Bengal, Mithilanchal Makhana Producers’ Association, CRS-Na Dihing Tenga Unyan Committee of Assam, Shri Bhupendra Joshi of Uttarakhand, Shri T. Joseph of Kerala, Shri Lakshan Pramanik, Shri Ananthamurthy J, Shri Nakul Singh of Bihar, and Shri Narendra Singh of Uttarakhand, among others from various categories.
In his address, Union Agriculture Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan commended the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) for its “remarkable achievements” over the past two decades. He said that Indian agricultural practices are among the oldest in the world, forming the very foundation of the nation’s civilisation. “Many indigenous crop varieties are vital for nutrition and ecological balance,” he said, noting that several traditional varieties were on the verge of extinction, and it was through the dedication of farmers that these seeds have been preserved.
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