Dr T. Mohapatra, Chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPVFRA), along with Dr. D.K. Agarwal, Registrar General of PPV&FRA, New Delhi, visited the ICAR-Directorate of Floricultural Research (DFR) in Pune today, where they engaged in discussions with scientists about various issues affecting the floriculture industry.
Dr Mohapatra spoke about raising awareness about intellectual property rights (IPRs) in flower crops, particularly for flower growers, the ornamental nursery industry, and farmers. He stated the current lack of awareness and suggested organizing more awareness programs to educate stakeholders. Dr Mohapatra also proposed holding meetings with a broader range of nursery industry stakeholders to better understand the challenges related to the export and import of ornamental plants.
© ICAR-Directorate of Floricultural Research
Dr Agarwal emphasized the significance of registering farmers' varieties with PPV&FRA and encouraged motivating farmers to register their unique varieties. He also urged support for both farmers and private industries in filing applications.
Dr K.V. Prasad, Director of ICAR-DFR, briefed the delegation on the technologies and improved varieties developed by the institute, highlighting its contributions to the floriculture sector.
Following the discussions, ICAR-DFR organized a visit to prominent nurseries in the Pune area to showcase the scale of the trade and highlight the IPR challenges faced by the nursery industry. These challenges include the import of new species and crops, plant quarantine issues, and concerns regarding IPR.
During visits to M/S Balaji Nursery and M/S Krupa Nursery, Pune, several IPR-related concerns were raised, particularly regarding indoor ornamental plants and tree species. The discussions underscored the need for a more robust approach to addressing these issues in the nursery sector.