The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released Rs. 15.52 crore in Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) proceeds from M/s. Pioneer Overseas Corporation, which developed ten commercial mustard (Brassica juncea) hybrid varieties using India’s biological resources. The amount will flow to 26 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and 3 Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs), with the ABS share calculated based on the area under mustard cultivation in each State.
M/s. Pioneer Overseas Corporation bred the ten varieties in-house but the parental lines were sourced from the open market and traders. As no single farmer or community could be identified as the source, the NBA constituted an Expert Committee to work out the modalities for ABS disbursal in such cases.
The modalities suggested by the Expert Committee were approved by the Authority. Accordingly, in cases where biological resources are accessed from intermediaries, the ABS is to be shared among the SBBs/UTBCs where the resource is cultivated. The NBA sourced cultivation-area figures from the ICAR–Indian Institute of Rapeseed-Mustard Research (ICAR-IIRMR), Bharatpur, Rajasthan, and used them to calculate each State’s share.
Rajasthan, which accounts for nearly 42 per cent of India’s mustard cultivation, is receiving the highest benefit, followed by Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. As mustard cultivation is spread across the country, almost every State and Union Territory receives a share proportionately.
