By Avijit Biswas
Bhagalpur: The Bhagalpuri Katarni Dhan Utpadak Sangh and Litchi Growers Association of Bihar beside four farmers have been selected from state for Plant Genome Savior Community Award for year 2021-22. The award is given by Protection of Plant varieties and Farmers Rights, a statutory authority under Ministry of Agriculture & Farmer’s Welfare, Government of India.
The Plant Genome Savior Community Award is conferred annually by the statutory authority of ministry of agriculture and farmer’s welfare on basis of shortlisting and site verification of the applications received from community of farmers/farming community based organizations having long track record of conserving plant agro biodiversity.
The Plant Genome Savior Community Award aims at encouraging plant agro biodiversity. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Authority grants exclusive rights to the breeders and farmers who have breed, evolved or developed any variety.
The president of Bhagalpuri Katarni Dhan Utpadak Sangh and President of Litchi Growers Association of Bihar have been communicated by deputy registrar of Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Authority about selection of their respective associations for the award.
The farmers from state selected for the award include Arjun Mandal of village Chinberia in Jamui district, Arjun Singh of village Masona in Rohtas district, Dilip Kumar Singh of village Mahaddiganj in Rohtas district and Satyadeo Singh of village Launa in Munger district.
The farmers selected for the award beside Bhagalpuri Katarni Dhan Utpadak Sangh and Litichi Gorwers Association of Bihar are all associated with Bihar Agricultural University (BAU), Sabour. In role of facilitator BAU had done needful to bring to notice of Plant Varieties and Farmer’s Rights Authority about contribution of the associations and farmers towards conservation of pant agro biodiversity.
As per available information the Bhagalpuri Dhan Utpadak Sangh has been selected for the awards in acknowledgement of its effort made for conserving traditional Katrani paddy variety having original qualities. The Muzaffarpur based Litchi Growers Association of Bihar has been selected for efforts made by the association towards conservation of original Shahi litchi variety.
Among the farmers Arjun Mandal has been selected for the award for conserving medicinal plants. Dilip Kumar Singh and Satyadeo Singh have been selected respectively for conserving a tomato variety popularly known as Gulshan and Tatuwa Masoor. Arjun Singh has been selected for the award for conservation of bottle gourd variety Sweta and Natki variety paddy.
The associations selected for the award would be given cash award of Rs ten lakh each while the selected farmers would receive cash award of Rs one lakh each. The award function would be held during global symposium on farmers rights scheduled on September 12, 2023 at New Delhi. An exhibition about live materials /seeds of awardees on plant genetic resources is proposed during the award function.
Writer Avijit Biswas, former principal correspondent of Hindustan Times Bhagalpur bureau, can be contacted at biswasavijit@yahoo.com
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