**Executive Summary**
This document presents the response to Unstarred Question No. 2572 in Lok Sabha, scheduled for December 16th, 2025, regarding initiatives to conserve indigenous paddy and other crops, particularly in Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency and Kerala. The response details governmental efforts through various authorities and schemes. It also provides data on the registration of Farmers' Varieties and Extant Variety of Common Knowledge (VCK) crops.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Government Initiatives:**
* The Government, through the PPV&FR Authority, NBPGR, ICAR Institutes, and SAUs, is undertaking initiatives to conserve indigenous plant varieties, including germplasm collection, characterization, and registration.
* The PPV&FR Authority has registered 20 farmers' varieties of paddy from Wayanad District.
* The ICAR-AICRP funded Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi, completed a Seed Bank Project in 2023 focused on Wayanad District.
* **Support for Tribal Communities and Farmers:**
* The PPV&FR Authority awards, rewards, and recognizes farmers who have conserved plant genetic resources.
* The PPV&FR (Utilisation of National Gene Fund for Conservation and Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources) Rules, 2025 has been notified for providing support to conservation of Plant Genetic Resource including varieties of tribal farmers/ communities.
* Government support is provided to tribal communities and farmer groups through capacity building, assistance in establishing community seed banks, and schemes like the Seeds Component under NFSNM.
* From 2019-2024, the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi, provided support to tribal communities and farmers' organizations through the AICRP (Seed Crops) tribal subplan in Wayanad district.
* **Crop Registration Data (Kerala, since 2015):**
* Malappuram: - registered Farmers Varieties, 1 registered Extant VCK
* Wayanad: 20 registered Farmers Varieties, - registered Extant VCK
* **Crop Registration Data (Wayanad District):**
* Black Pepper: 1 registered Farmers' Variety
* Turmeric: 1 registered Farmers' Variety
* Rice: 20 registered Farmers' Variety
* **Benefit Sharing:**
* No claim of benefit sharing has been filed with the PPV&FR Authority in the State of Kerala.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Farmers in Wayanad District and Kerala**
* **Impact:** The farmers are affected by the government initiatives to conserve and promote indigenous paddy and other crop varieties. The registration of their varieties and access to support programs can impact their livelihoods and conservation efforts.
* **Action Required:** Farmers need to participate in conservation efforts, register their varieties with the PPV&FR Authority, and engage with available support programs.
**Stakeholder: Tribal Communities in Wayanad District and Kerala**
* **Impact:** Government support and recognition of their role in conserving traditional varieties directly impact their communities. Access to seeds, agricultural inputs, and capacity building programs affects their traditional farming practices.
* **Action Required:** Tribal communities should engage with conservation efforts, participate in capacity building programs, and establish/strengthen community seed banks.
**Stakeholder: PPV&FR Authority**
* **Impact:** The PPV&FR Authority is responsible for managing the registration, recognition, and support of farmers and communities engaged in plant genetic resource conservation.
* **Action Required:** The PPV&FR Authority needs to continue implementing its programs, registering farmer varieties, and providing awards and recognition to conservation efforts.
Key Entities Referenced
Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR) Authority: Authority responsible for awarding, rewarding, and recognizing farmers who conserve plant genetic resources and related rules.
Wayanad: Parliamentary Constituency and District of Kerala that is the focus of the question regarding conservation of indigenous paddy varieties.
Kerala: State for which details on the registration of cereal crops are provided.
National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM): Program under which Government provides support to tribal communities and farmer groups involved in conservation of traditional varieties
Extant Variety of Common Knowledge (VCK): Category of cereal crops for which certificate details issued are requested. Coexists with Farmers' Variety.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE & FARMERS WELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2572
TO BE ANSWERED ON 16TH DECEMBER, 2025
EXTANT VARIETY OF COMMON KNOWLEDGE AND FARMER VARIETIES
2572. SMT. PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA:
Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण मं(cid:361)ी
be pleased to state:
(a) whether initiatives are being taken by the Government to conserve indigenous paddy
varieties in the country particularly in Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency;
(b) whether the Government extends support to tribal communities and farmer’s
organisations to take up conservation efforts, if so, the details thereof;
(c) the details of certificates issued for Extant Variety of Common Knowledge (VCK) and
Farmers' Variety categories of cereal crops since 2015 in Kerala, district-wise;
(d) the details of Extant VCK and Farmers’ Varieties for all crop types registered in Wayanad
Parliamentary Constituency;
(e) whether any Extant VCK and Farmers’ Varieties have been commercialized out of the
total crops registered in Wayanad Parliamentary Constituency, and if so, the details thereof;
and
(f) whether any farmers, communities or institutions in Kerala have received benefit-sharing
payments under this programme, if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
कृ िष एवं िकसान क(cid:670)ाण रा(cid:475) मं(cid:361)ी (SHRI RAM NATH THAKUR)
(a): The Government of India through the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’
Rights (PPV&FR) Authority, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), Indian
Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Institutes and State Agricultural Universities (SAUs)
is taking several initiatives to conserve indigenous plant varieties (including paddy varieties).
These initiatives include germplasm collection, characterization, registration of farmers’
varieties, community seed bank support, and promotion of on-farm conservation in
biodiversity-rich regions.
The PPV&FR Authority has registered 20 farmers’ varieties of paddy from Wayanad
District of Kerala.
In addition, ICAR- All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) funded Regional
Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi under Kerala Agricultural University is doing
collection, conservation, characterization of indigenous paddy varieties of Kerala under
Seed Bank Project of State Government plan fund, which was completed in 2023 especially
focusing on Wayanad District.(b): The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Authority awards,
rewards and recognizes farmers who have conserved plant genetic resources. Accordingly,
so far, PPV&FR Authority has conferred 41 Plant Genome Saviour Community Awards to
Farming Communities, 67 Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Rewards and 84 Plant Genome
Saviour Farmer Recognitions.
Furthermore, the PPV&FR (Utilisation of National Gene Fund for Conservation and
Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources) Rules, 2025 has been notified for providing
support to conservation of Plant Genetic Resource including varieties of tribal farmers/
communities.
Besides, Government provides support to tribal communities and farmer groups
involved in conservation of traditional varieties through capacity buiding programmes on
varietal conservation and registration, assistance on establishing and strengthening
community seed banks etc. through various schemes/programmes especially Seeds
Component under National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM) etc.
During 2019-2024, Regional Agricultural Research Station, Pattambi under Kerala
Agricultural University provided support to tribal communities and farmers’ organizations to
take up conservation efforts through AICRP (Seed Crops) tribal subplan, providing seeds,
agricultural inputs, implements, seed mills etc. in Wayanad district.
(c): The district-wise details of cereal crops registered under the categories of Farmers’
Variety and Extant Variety of Common Knowledge (VCK) from the State of Kerala since 2015,
are as under:
No. of registered No. of registered
S. No. Name of District
Farmers Varieties Extant VCK
1 Malappuram - 1
2 Wayanad 20 -
(d) & (e): The details of all crops registered under the categories of Farmers’ Variety and
Extant Variety of Common Knowledge (VCK) from Wayanad District, are as under:
S. No. Name of Crop No. of registered Farmers’ Varieties
1 Black Pepper 1
2 Turmeric 1
3 Rice 20
(f): As on date, no claim of benefit sharing has been filed with PPV&FR Authority in the
State of Kerala.
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