NBA releases ₹8.22 crore to rice research institutes and 33 States for use of Indian rice varieties

New Delhi: The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released ₹8.22 crore to three research institutions and 33 State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils as part of one of the largest single benefit-sharing disbursements linked to Indian rice varieties.

The amount was realised from Pioneer Overseas Corporation, an international seed company, for using Indian rice (Oryza sativa) varieties to develop and commercialise hybrid seeds. The disbursement has been made under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism, which ensures that benefits arising from the commercial use of India's biological resources are shared with institutions and states that have conserved them.

Of the total amount, ₹2.47 crore has been allocated to research institutions that conserved and supplied the rice germplasm. The ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research (ICAR-IIRR), Hyderabad, received the largest share of ₹2.43 crore, while Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Uttarakhand, received ₹3.26 lakh for the rice variety it contributed.

The remaining ₹5.75 crore has been distributed among 33 State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils based on the rice-growing area of each state and Union Territory, as reflected in the Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare.

Among the states, Uttar Pradesh received the highest allocation of more than ₹73 lakh, followed by West Bengal (₹64.95 lakh), Telangana (₹50.60 lakh), Odisha (₹48.09 lakh) and Chhattisgarh (₹45.91 lakh). Bihar received ₹36.93 lakh, while Punjab was allocated ₹37.15 lakh.

According to the NBA, the funds allocated to research institutions will be used for germplasm conservation, maintenance of seed collections, research and training. The State Biodiversity Boards and Biodiversity Councils will utilise their share for conservation activities, including protection of native crop diversity, documentation of traditional knowledge, ecosystem restoration and support for local farming communities.

The authority said it has so far received around ₹83 crore in benefit-sharing payments from the agriculture and seed sector. Across all sectors, cumulative Access and Benefit Sharing collections have crossed ₹162 crore.

The NBA, a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, regulates access to India's biological resources and ensures equitable sharing of benefits arising from their commercial utilisation.