The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s National Biodiversity Authority has announced that it has now distributed more than ₹200 crore under India’s Access and Benefit-Sharing framework. The latest round involves ₹8.23 crore being sent to state and union territory biodiversity boards after companies commercialised four vegetable crops.
The Details
The money comes from three seed companies—Nunhems India, East West Seeds India and Bayer Science and Innovation—that accessed genetic material from Bitter Gourd, Okra, Chilli and Onion for research and sale. Since these crops were sourced through open markets and traders rather than directly from identifiable farmers or communities, the National Biodiversity Authority decided to distribute the benefit proceeds to states and territories based on where each crop is mainly grown.
The distribution reflects cultivation patterns tracked by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Madhya Pradesh received the largest share at ₹1.17 crore, followed by Maharashtra with ₹1.01 crore. Maharashtra’s position is largely due to its dominance in onion cultivation, which accounts for over 49 per cent of India’s onion growing area. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Odisha, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh also feature among the ten largest recipients.
State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils must use these funds for specific purposes under the Biological Diversity Act 2002. These include updating People’s Biodiversity Registers, protecting and restoring natural ecosystems, strengthening Biodiversity Heritage Sites, training Biodiversity Management Committees, and supporting local community livelihoods.
What this means for you
If you live in states that grow these four vegetables, your state government now has new funding for local biodiversity projects and community programmes. The arrangement ensures that when companies profit from India’s plant varieties, some money flows back to the regions that cultivate them, supporting conservation and community development. This approach applies whenever genetic resources cannot be traced to specific farmers or villages.