India to host 9th session of Seed Treaty
India will host the 9th session of the Governing Body (GB) of the ‘International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA)’.
The ITPGRFA is also known as the ‘Seed Treaty’. It is a major international agreement on the conservation, use and management of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) around the world for the benefit of the people.
It is a legally binding agreement. It was adopted in the year 2001 during the 31st session of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). It came into effect in the year 2004. India is a party to it.
Objective of ITPGRFA:
- To ensure the conservation and sustainable use of all plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use.
- The ITPGRFA has also provided the international legal framework required for the establishment of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in Norway.
- PGRFA are the raw material that forms the basis of all crop varieties. These include the seeds and the genetic material of all other plants.
Importance of PGRFA-
- It plays an important role in protecting natural resources and environment.
- It expands options and provides protection against future adverse conditions (such as extreme and changing environment).
- It is important for the development of new varieties of plants. In addition, it is also important for meeting human’s food, nutritional, health and economic security needs.
Source – The Hindu
