During a global seminar on farmers' rights organized by the ITPGRFA and FAO, President Droupadi Murmu emphasized the need for concrete actions to protect traditional seed varieties and promote eco-friendly farming practices. She praised farmers as vital food providers and called for the preservation of their rights.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar also recognized farmers' contributions to agricultural prosperity, emphasizing their role in nurturing and developing plant varieties that reflect the close bond between nature and culture.
Indian President Murmu underscores the vital role of farmers in preserving and developing landraces, wild relatives, and traditional crop varieties, which form the basis of modern crop breeding programs. These efforts ensure food and nutritional security for humans and livestock. She highlights India's progressive approach to farmers' rights, including the freedom to use, save, share, and sell unbranded seeds from registered varieties.
Indian farmers can also register their own varieties, offering them protection. Murmu suggests that India's legislation could serve as a model for global adoption. The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), established in 2001, plays a pivotal role in preserving and managing plant genetic resources for agriculture.
Murmu highlights the significance of the first-ever global symposium, emphasizing its potential to reshape international priorities and programs to better serve humanity's needs. She sees this event as an opportunity for the international community to collectively commit to advancing farmers' rights globally, expressing hope that the symposium will be a pivotal milestone in this endeavor.
