SC must protect intellectual property rights of farmers, say researchers

Lovleen Bains

Doraha, July 13

Researchers and agricultural scientists have demanded to protect the intellectual property rights of farmers at all costs and asked the Supreme Court to revert the decision of the lower court, which had come up with a new standard for issuing patents that virtually eliminated their value.

PPS Pangli, a farmer leader of the Borlaug Farmers’ Association for South Asia, who grows wheat, rice, basmati non-scented, corn, pulses, garlic, onion, mustard and seed production for fodder and seasonal vegetables on a farm located at his ancestral Panglian village, said the Supreme Court must reverse the lower court’s faulty legal decision and defend the intellectual property rights that were essential for the future of farmers.

“Intellectual property rights are similar to the traditional private property rights. It is based on this knowledge that farmers are worried about a case that the Supreme Court of India will hear on July 18. When the courts rule on the case, which involves a patent for Bt cotton, they are determining the future of agriculture in India. Farming these days does not mean physical labour, but it also depends on creativity. Without thoughtful contributions of Dr Norman Borlaug, India and the other developing nations would have never seen the Green Revolution that allowed us to become self-sufficient in food grains in the 1970s and 1980s,” said Pangli.

“Now, we find ourselves in a Gene Revolution, powered by new plant technologies. Indian farmers have welcomed its arrival. My experience and that of our farmer association with the genetically modified (GM) seeds was memorable,” he said.

RPS Rana, Secretary General of the Bourlaug Association, said: “We were able to harvest great profits by reducing the agro-chemical costs of farmers and boosting yields and income. We are on the threshold of growing more food on less land than ever before. The protection of intellectual property rights make these advances possible. They provide incentives for scientists and researchers to work on the next generation of seeds, which will grow into plants that have the power to overcome not just weeds, but also pests, disease, drought, and more.”

“If the Supreme Court does not rethink over the lower court’s decision, advances in plant-related technology will decrease dramatically as there will be no motivation for agricultural researchers. The next generation of agricultural researchers will be diverted to other professions. Rather than catching up to the developed nations in the world, India will fall behind further. Intellectual property rights are the building blocks of success in the 21st century. Without research and technology innovation, the key agrarian agenda of the government to double farmer’s income by 2022 can never be achieved,” said HS Gill, a member of the Bourlaug Association.