While analyzing the threats caused by Agri-piracy and Bio-piracy on Indian Economy, discuss the taken so far as well as proposed measures towards handling these threats.
Piracy refers to the use of intellectual property systems to legitimize the exclusive ownership and control over biological resources and biological products and processes that have been used over centuries in non-industrialized culture”. India facing problem with Bio piracy and agri piracy.
- Both Bio piracy and agri-piracy act as barrier of India in becoming a manufacturing hub of the world.
- This type of piracies will hinder the India’s dream to become Innovation hub.
- Crops developed through agri piracy have serious implications on environment and health. For example recent farmers’ suicides in Maharashtra are due to illegal use of HT BT cotton.
- This type of Piracy will encourage grey market.
Steps taken by Indian government:
- India signed Convention on Biological diversity, which deals with Bio piracy at global level.
- India passed the Plant Varieties Protection and Farmers’ Rights Act (PVPFR) 2001, followed by the PVPFR Rules 2003. These two acts ensure the protection of plant breeders’ rights over new varieties they develop and give farmers the entitlement to register new varieties and also to save, breed, use, exchange, share or sell the plant varieties that farmers have developed, improved and maintained over many generations.
- Traditional Knowledge digital library was created.
- New Intellectual property law was passed.
Steps to be taken:
To prevent the sale of illegal seeds is one of the major challenge to government of India. Government have to take following steps to prevent agri Piracy. Regulatory bodies like Generic Engineering Appraisal committee need to clear the applications for innovation products like GM Mustard and BT cotton as soon as possible to prevent Agri Piracy. IP protections laws need to be reframed so that it boost innovations. India must curb intellectual property rights violations through stringent laws