The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released Rs 8.22 crore to three research institutions and 33 State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils, marking one of the largest single access and benefit-sharing (ABS) disbursements for rice.

The amount was received from M/s Pioneer Overseas Corporation, an international seed company, for using Indian rice (Oryza sativa) varieties to develop and commercialize hybrids. The disbursement reflects India's commitment to ensuring fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of the country's biological resources.

Of the total amount, Rs 2.47 crore has been released to research institutions that conserved and shared the rice varieties with the company. ICAR-Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, has received the largest share of Rs 2.43 crore, while Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, Uttarakhand, has received Rs 3.26 lakh for the specific rice variety it contributed.

An amount of Rs 5.75 crore has been released to 33 State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils based on the rice-growing area of each State and Union Territory, as listed in the Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Uttar Pradesh has received the highest share of over Rs 73 lakh. States and Union Territories with smaller rice-growing areas, such as Sikkim and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, have also received proportionate allocations.

The top 10 State-wise allocations are as follows:

Sl. No.	State Biodiversity Board	Amount (Rs)
1	Uttar Pradesh	73,26,225
2	West Bengal	64,94,795
3	Telangana	50,59,674
4	Odisha	48,09,040
5	Chhattisgarh	45,90,940
6	Punjab	37,14,926
7	Bihar	36,93,237
8	Madhya Pradesh	36,16,118
9	Assam	27,78,664
10	Andhra Pradesh	25,88,278

The research institutions will utilise the funds to strengthen germplasm conservation, maintain seed collections, and support research and training. The State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils will use their allocations for approved conservation activities, including protection of native crop diversity, ecosystem restoration, documentation of traditional knowledge, and support for local farmers and knowledge holders.

The NBA has so far received about Rs 83 crore in ABS payments from the agriculture and seed sector alone. Across all sectors, its total ABS disbursements have crossed Rs 162 crore.

By ensuring that benefits arising from the commercial use of India's biological resources are shared fairly with research institutions and States, the initiative contributes to Target 13 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, which calls for fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, including associated traditional knowledge. It also contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

About the National Biodiversity Authority

The National Biodiversity Authority is a statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It regulates access to India's biological resources and associated traditional knowledge and implements the Nagoya Protocol's principle of fair and equitable benefit-sharing.

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