Indian Perspective for Sustainable Development Agenda and Functional IPR and ABS Domains in Agriculture.

The institutional arrangement for International agriculture trade and trans-boundary access to Indian biodiversity and genetic resources is broadly supportive of both development and sustainability. However, some researchers have questioned the effectiveness of such implementation. The country with regard to sustainable development is committed to enhance farm productivity, better connect to markets, and make farmers less vulnerable to environmental vagaries through enhanced safeguards such as renewed agricultural insurance schemes. Global inter-dependence on genetic resources for food and agriculture will continue to hold the key to achieve the SDGs by 2030. The Section 3 exemptions from patentability under the Indian Patent Law affect R&D in agriculture sector as much as in the pharmaceutical sector but protection of new transgenic varieties and essentially derived varieties is a viable option for promoting exclusive seed business. Innovators in plant biotechnology will have the opportunity to innovate de novo business strategies to license their proprietary products in Indian market while also simultaneously safeguarding the interests of smallholder farmers. Long term interests of sustainability and development through agriculture may be better safeguarded by quickly resolving ABS related issues, for example, 'recognising the legitimate access to indigenous germplasm already held by private seed R&D companies in India prior to enactment of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002'; demanding regular updates on the status of licensing/cross licensing of varieties protected under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001to ensure their wider availability in the seed value chains as well as harmonise with ABS paradigm, and scaling up the commercial potentials of farmers' varieties registered under the Act to benefit the farmer breeders. Development of IPR and ABS compatible agrobusiness environment would eventually contribute towards achieving the sustainable development goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]