National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) disburses ₹3.79 crore under Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism

Key facts

• The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) disbursed approximately ₹3.79 crore as Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) to 33 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs), ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR), and Hisar Bovine Sperm Station and Research Centre.
• The ABS amount was realized from companies including Bayer Science and Innovation Pvt. Ltd., HM Clause India Pvt. Ltd., and Advanta Enterprises Limited for accessing vegetable and oilseed genetic resources for research and commercial utilisation.
• An ABS amount also arose from the Department of Animal Production and Health, Government of Sri Lanka, for access to Sahiwal cattle semen.
• The disbursement covers diverse agrobiodiversity including tomato, chilli, brinjal, cauliflower, watermelon, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, okra, mustard seed varieties, and deep-frozen Sahiwal cattle semen.
• The ABS amount was distributed proportionately among states and union territories based on cultivation-area data published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
• The largest share was released to Madhya Pradesh (₹46.93 lakh), followed by West Bengal (₹44.76 lakh) and Odisha (₹44.08 lakh).
• Recipients must utilise the funds for activities such as preparing People's Biodiversity Registers, biodiversity conservation, capacity building of Biodiversity Management Committees, and socio-economic development of local communities.
• Cumulative ABS disbursements by the NBA now exceed ₹166 crore.