Agricultural Biological Resources Generate Around ₹1.04 Crore in ABS Benefits for Biodiversity Initiatives Across India

Key Highlights:

• The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) disbursed ₹1.04 crore in Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) funds.
• Funds were distributed among 27 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and 2 Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs).
• This amount was generated from the utilization of agricultural biological resources by three companies for research and commercial purposes.
• The contributions relate to crops such as pearl millet, jowar, maize, rice, and bottle gourd.
• The NBA adopted an area-based approach for distribution, considering geographical spread and cultivation area of relevant crops.

Detailed Insights:

• The disbursement demonstrates how benefits from agricultural biological resources can be channeled towards biodiversity conservation and sustainable use.
• The contributing companies were Crystal Crop Protection Limited, Savannah Seeds Pvt. Ltd., and Nunhems India Pvt. Ltd.
• The agriculture sector is emerging as a significant contributor to India’s ABS mechanism, having generated approximately ₹87 crore in total ABS contributions.
• Till date, the NBA has released over ₹204 crore in ABS benefits for biodiversity conservation across the country.
• India’s ABS framework aligns with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Nagoya Protocol, and Target 13 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
• Funds allocated to SBBs and UTBCs are to be utilized for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use, documentation, research, and capacity building.
• India's experience in implementing ABS will be highlighted at the CBD COP 17 side event in Yerevan, Armenia, in October 2026.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS): A principle ensuring fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.
• National Biodiversity Authority (NBA): A statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, to implement its provisions.
• Biological Diversity Act, 2002: The Indian law governing the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
• Nagoya Protocol: An international agreement under the Convention on Biological Diversity that provides a transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of ABS.