The Navara Rice Controversy

In India, Agriculture is the highest revenue generator for India's economic system. The farmers have been given special position in society through farmer's card under the farmers' rights act. The farmers' are given subsidy, a special exception under article xx of WTO and various other privileges under various policies and laws of central and state governments. Still, the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act, 2001 gives special rights of registration to the inventor or rather improver of any superior quality of existing species of seed or other forms of plants. This special right of registration provides with proprietary right to the inventor of higher quality of the existing quality which is nothing but an improvement over prior art. The recent case of registration of improved variety of Navara rice has opened a Pandora's Box for the impediments to farmer's Right over the use of the similar or lower variety of the same species of rice.