KVK Kathua hosts awareness prog on PPV&FRA

Kathua: Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Kathua Friday organized a Training-cum-Awareness program for farmers on Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers Rights Act (PPV&FRA), 2001.
Over 150 farmers attended the program and shared their experiences on cultivation of traditional varieties.
The program was inaugurated by Vice Chancellor, SKUAST-Jammu, Prof. Pradeep K. Sharma in presence of Director Research, Dr. J.P. Sharma, Associate Director Extension & I/c KVKs, Dr. R.K. Arora, Director, Planning & Monitoring, Dr. Deepak Kher, Estates Officer, Sunil Gandotra, Executive Engineer, Iqbal Singh and DDM NABARD Kathua, Madan Lal.
In his address, Prof. Pradeep K. Sharma briefed the farmers about the benefits of PPV&FRA, 2001 for the farming community. He acknowledged that farmers are engaged in conserving and improving age old varieties of crops and emphasized upon the need to make them aware about the benefits of the Act. He informed that the Act has provisions to reward the farmers/group of farmers, who have maintained multiple germplasm of crop varieties.
Dr. J.P. Sharma appreciated the efforts of Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kathua for organizing the program with the active participation of farmers of far flung areas of Bani tehsil. He briefed about the efforts of the university in development of new technologies and also in conserving the available biodiversity. He informed that SKUAST-Jammu is in the process of developing a Gene Bank of all types of crop varieties and requested farmers to submit the germplasm available with them for maintaining the gene pool at University level.
Dr. R.K. Arora, Associate Director Extension & I/c KVKs, welcomed the participating farmers and other dignitaries in the program and gave a brief account of the objective of organizing the program. He elaborated the Distinctiveness, Uniformity and Stability parameters of crops in relation to PPV&FR Act.
Earlier, Dr. Amrish Vaid, Sr. Scientist and Head, KVK Kathua welcomed the participants in the program and explained specific provisions of PPV&FRA, 2001 including identification of desirable characters in traditional crops & varieties, Farmers’ Rights, registration process etc.
The event also witnessed an exhibition where local varieties/land races of cereals and other crops brought by the local farmers were displayed. Some of them were collected by KVK Kathua for further submission to PPV&FR Authority for final registration.
In the interaction session, resource persons responded to queries of participating farmers.
A booklet on the provisions of PPV&FRA, 2001 was also released on the occasion in Hindi language for distribution to the farmers of the district. Dr. Pradeep Sharma also laid the foundation stone for establishment of Spawn Production Laboratory at KVK Kathua.