Last Updated on November 15, 2025 11:43 pm by BIZNAMA NEWS
New Delhi
The All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) has sharply criticised the Union Government, accusing it of compromising India’s seed sovereignty at the upcoming International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA), scheduled in Lima, Peru from November 24 to 29, 2025.
AIKS said it is “deeply outraged” by what it terms the Centre’s “double standards.” The organisation alleged that while Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan publicly talks of empowering farmers and honouring them with awards, government negotiators are preparing to concede India’s agricultural heritage to global seed corporations. According to AIKS, this amounts to a “direct betrayal” of the country’s food producers.
The farmers’ body said the minister’s recent praise for the PPV&FRA and promises of reform are merely a “drama at home,” masking a damaging international agenda. AIKS claimed that the government is considering supporting treaty proposals that would force India to place its entire national seed collection—including thousands of indigenous and farmer-developed varieties—into a global pool accessible to multinational companies.
AIKS warned that proposed changes to expand all plant genetic resources into the treaty’s “Multilateral System” would be disastrous.
It outlined three key dangers:
- Loss of agricultural heritage: The country’s vast biodiversity, preserved for generations, could be openly accessed and patented by foreign agribusiness giants, who may later sell modified versions back to Indian farmers.
- Failed profit-sharing mechanism: The existing Benefit-Sharing Fund has brought negligible returns to India despite global commercial use of its seeds; expanding the system would deepen this imbalance.
- Digital biopiracy: With no regulation of Digital Sequence Information (DSI), AIKS says companies can digitally map Indian genetic resources and claim patents without sharing any benefits.
AIKS also criticised India’s chief negotiator, Dr. Sunil Archak, for downplaying the risks, saying his assurances contradict both the facts and the principles of India’s Biodiversity Act.