The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has distributed Rs 2.02 crore among 27 States and 3 Union Territories under India’s Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) mechanism. These funds come from contributions by seed-sector companies that use India’s biological resources and are meant to support biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of natural resources, and strengthen livelihoods of local communities at the grassroots level.
The money comes from seven major seed companies that have benefited from India’s agricultural biological resources, including rice, eggplant, cauliflower, cucumber, hot pepper, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, tomato and okra varieties. The NBA used agricultural statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare to decide how much each state should receive, based on how much of each crop is grown there.
Key facts
- Total amount disbursed: Rs 2.02 crore to 30 state and union territory bodies
- Cumulative ABS disbursements by NBA so far: Rs 202 crore
- Biological resources involved: 9 agricultural crops and their varieties
- Seed companies contributing: East West Seeds India, Syngenta India, Devgen Seeds and Crop Technology, Limagrain India, Bayer Science & Innovation, Nunhems India and Enza Zaden India
- Top 10 states account for Rs 1.43 crore of the total amount
- Madhya Pradesh receives the highest share: Rs 23.81 lakh
- West Bengal: Rs 23.33 lakh
- Odisha: Rs 19.76 lakh
- Bihar: Rs 17.29 lakh
- Gujarat: Rs 13.30 lakh
What the Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanism is
The ABS framework is India’s way of ensuring that when companies use the country’s biological resources to develop seeds, medicines, or other products, the benefits flow back to conservation and local communities. Companies that commercialise India’s genetic resources must pay a share of their profits or contributions to the NBA. These funds are then returned to states and territories where the original resources come from.
How the money will be used
State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils will use these funds for several purposes. They can strengthen Biodiversity Management Committees, update People’s Biodiversity Registers, protect traditional crop varieties and medicinal plants, restore natural habitats, and promote sustainable management of biological resources. The money can also support farmer training and community involvement in managing and protecting biodiversity.
These ABS-funded activities can connect with other government schemes, particularly those helping tribal communities and promoting sustainable livelihoods. Examples include the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission, and Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana, which supports value addition in forest products.
The legal and international context
India’s ABS framework implements the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and supports the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2024-2030. Internationally, it fulfills India’s commitments under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly Target 13, which calls for fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources, and Target 19 on raising financial resources for biodiversity.
The mechanism also advances several Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
What this means for you
If you live in a state that grows rice, vegetables, or other resource crops, your state’s biodiversity board will receive funds to conserve local crop varieties and support sustainable agriculture. If you are part of a farming community or Biodiversity Management Committee, you may benefit from conservation and livelihood projects funded by these contributions. The ABS mechanism also ensures that when Indian biological resources are used commercially, local communities have a claim on the resulting benefits.
What happens next
The NBA has now disbursed a cumulative total of Rs 202 crore through the ABS mechanism. As India prepares to participate in the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Yerevan, Armenia, from 19 October 2026, this disbursement demonstrates the country’s commitment to fair benefit-sharing and biodiversity conservation.