“We will not achieve food security without reaching consensus on Farmers’ Rights and Breeders’ Rights”
Speech by Arthur Santosh Attavar, ISF First Vice President, at the Opening Ceremony of the ninth session of the Governing Body (GB 9) of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA or Treaty)
New Delhi, 19 September 2022
Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Honorable, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India
Honorable Director General of the FAO
Madam Chair of the Governing Body
Mister the Secretary of the International Treaty
Distinguished colleagues
It is a great honor for me to be here today, to represent the voice of the seed sector in its diversity, all my colleagues active in research, breeding, production, and trading of seeds of agricultural, horticultural, and ornamental plant species. As the Vice President of the International Seed Federation, and the Chairman of a family-owned seed company, it’s a great joy to participate in today’s inauguration. My late father Dr. Manmohan Attavar had dedicated his life in improving the quality life of Indian farmers by helping them to improve their agronomy, cultural practices along with the quality seed that we provided. Serving farmers is still the core activity of the seed sector. We are proud to serve the many and to make good quality seed available for the farmers. Similarly, the seed sector is committed to advocate for and with farmers around the world to help access the quality seed of their informed choice, at the right season, in the right place, with the right quantity.
Let us be mindful that the farmers were the first seed producers saving the best seeds for the following planting season, and that many of them continue offering valuable contributions to seed diversity, preservation, selection, and multiplication. We support farmers by developing specialized, science and technology-based seed innovation. Thus, we fully concur to celebrating the guardians of crop diversity during this week of important meetings.
“We are proud to serve the many and to make good quality seed available forfarmers. The seed sector is committed to advocate for and with farmers around the world to help access the quality seed of their informed choice, at the right season, in the right place, with the right quantity.”
Today there are more than 700 million people living in extreme poverty, starkly illustrating that we need to continue to strengthen our collaboration on food systems towards a healthier, more sustainable, equitable and resilient seed production and food systems. We are convinced that this can be achieved through a continued cooperation among the farmers, the private sector and the public seed sector and we are convinced that the International Treaty is the most suitable tool to ensure facilitated access and benefit sharing of genetic resources, which are critical in ensuring food and nutritional security. I am happy to see in this room colleagues from the department of biotechnology, with whom we completed on a salt tolerant Paddy program which is in advanced stage of trials in target areas, and also colleagues from our National Gene Bank the NBPGR.
The implementation of Farmers’ Rights will be high on the agenda of this week, and I would like to reiterate that we will not achieve food security without reaching consensus on Farmers’ Rights and Breeders’ Rights. The private seed sector is committed to deepen the dialogue with all farmers and their associations at the national, regional and international level, to enhance understanding of the realities of farmers and breeders all over the world, and to reflect on how needs, traditions and interests, can become opportunities for working together on critical Sustainable Development Goals.
The International Treaty will play a pivotal role for all stake holders in continuing to work together to counter climatic and biotic challenges. Farmers are our partners and the seed sector continues as always to work closely with them across all agro-climatic zones of the world. Let’s look towards joint and diverse solutions, leveraging our diversity whilst respecting our differences.
