Background
  • There is an international agreement called the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).
  • A big meeting of this treaty will happen in Lima, Peru, in the last week of November 2025.
  • Before this meeting, many groups in India — farmers’ organisations, civil society groups, and scientists — have raised strong concerns.
  • They wrote letters to the Prime Minister and important ministers.
  • Their message is simple: protect India’s rights over its own seeds and plant genetic resources.
WHAT IS THE MAIN ISSUE? There is a proposal to expand the treaty’s Multilateral System (MLS).

Right now:

  • MLS covers only 64 crops.
(Example: rice, wheat, maize etc.)

New proposal:

  • Expand MLS to almost all plant genetic resources (PGRFA).
  • Only a very small number of crops can be kept out through a “negative list”.
WHY IS THIS A PROBLEM FOR INDIA? Farmer groups say:
  • This expansion will open almost all of India’s seed diversity to foreign seed companies.
  • India will lose control over who uses its seeds.
  • It goes against Indian laws:
    • Biological Diversity Act, 2002
    • Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001
These laws protect:
  • India’s sovereign rights over genetic resources.
  • Farmers’ role as custodians of seeds.
DISAGREEMENT OVER INDIA’S OBLIGATIONS At a consultation meeting, a senior official, Sunil Archak, made some claims:
  1. India can choose which seeds to share.
  2. India is not giving seeds to MLS, only receiving.
  3. India needs expansion to get access to crops like soybean, tomato, groundnut, oil palm.
FARMERS & SCIENTISTS SAY THIS IS WRONG They say:
  • The treaty is legally binding. Countries cannot keep reservations once they sign.
  • Articles 11 and 12 say countries must share all plant resources that fall under the expanded list.
  • India has already shared more than 4 lakh seed samples with MLS. These include farmers’ own varieties.
  • India already has rich diversity in soybean, tomato, etc.
  • India can get any extra material through bilateral agreements, without giving up sovereignty.
Their point: A small benefit is not worth losing control over India’s entire seed heritage. TRANSPARENCY & DIGITAL BIO PIRACY ISSUES Another major concern is lack of transparency in MLS.

Problems raised:

  • No proper system to track who is taking seeds, how they use them, or what products they make.
  • New rules introduce confidentiality clauses — even less transparency.
  • Digital Sequence Information (DSI) is not regulated.
(DSI = genetic data taken from seeds.)

WHY IS THIS DANGEROUS?

  • Seed companies can take India’s seeds, create digital data, and use it freely.
  • This allows digital biopiracy — using India’s genetic wealth without permission or benefit-sharing.
  • Data can go to private databases not accountable to India.
WHAT FARMERS & EXPERTS WANT THE GOVT. TO DO? They listed clear demands for India’s stand at the Lima meeting (GB-11):

Demands:

  1. Reject expansion of MLS to include all PGRFA.
  2. Demand full transparency — list of who accessed India’s seeds must be public.
  3. Oppose confidentiality clauses in the seed-sharing agreement (SMTA).
  4. Regulate DSI — allow sharing only on transparent and accountable systems.
  5. Appoint a skilled negotiator, preferably from the Ministry of External Affairs.
  6. Restrict Sunil Archak from representing India because of conflict of interest.
  7. Work with Global South countries to push for better governance and tracking before any expansion.
They will also hold a press briefing on 18 November 2025 to share all these concerns with the public.

KEY QUESTIONS THEY WANT THE GOVT. TO ANSWER

  • Will an expanded treaty give international access to all of India’s publicly held seed resources?
  • Will India lose oversight over who uses its plant genetic material?
What will happen to farmers’ seed sovereignty?