The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released Rs 2.82 crore under the Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) mechanism linked to the utilisation of India’s biological resources.
Of the total amount, Rs 2.80 crore has been distributed among 27 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and three Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs). Another Rs 2.01 lakh is being released to the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research (ICAR-IIHR), Karnataka.
Access and Benefit-Sharing Funds Distributed Across States
The NBA received Rs 2.94 crore from Advanta Enterprises Ltd., formerly UPL Limited, as ABS for the utilisation of genetic resources linked to multiple horticultural hybrids.
These included eight cauliflower hybrids, five hot pepper hybrids, five okra hybrids and six tomato hybrids.
The biological resources were acquired through another company and could not be linked to specific farmers, communities or a single geographical source. The NBA therefore constituted an Expert Committee to recommend an appropriate mechanism for distributing the benefit-sharing funds.
Based on the approved mechanism, the NBA allocated Rs 2.80 crore according to the cultivation of the concerned horticultural crops across different states and Union Territories.
Gujarat Gets Largest Share of ABS Funds
Gujarat received the highest allocation at Rs 44.59 lakh, followed by West Bengal with Rs 41.24 lakh and Madhya Pradesh with Rs 32.73 lakh.
Other major recipients included Odisha with Rs 32.57 lakh, Bihar with Rs 30.86 lakh, Chhattisgarh with Rs 16.54 lakh, Uttar Pradesh with Rs 12.66 lakh, Andhra Pradesh with Rs 10.51 lakh, Tamil Nadu with Rs 10.49 lakh and Maharashtra with Rs 7.07 lakh.
The remaining 20 SBBs and UTBCs collectively received Rs 40.55 lakh.
ABS Funds to Support Biodiversity Conservation
The Access and Benefit-Sharing funds released to SBBs and UTBCs will support several biodiversity-related activities.
These include documentation and updating of People’s Biodiversity Registers, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, restoration of degraded ecosystems and strengthening of Biodiversity Heritage Sites.
The funds will also support capacity building for Biodiversity Management Committees and community livelihood enhancement.
The recipient bodies must submit utilisation certificates and expenditure statements within one year of receiving the funds.
ICAR-IIHR Receives ABS Share for Microbial Resources
Separately, the NBA received Rs 7.15 lakh from Sumitomo Chemical India Ltd., Mumbai, formerly Excel Crop Care, as ABS for access to two microbial strains.
The strains were Pseudomonas fluorescens 1% WP (strain IIHR-Pf-2) and Trichoderma harzianum 1% WP (strain IIHR-Th-2). Both were sourced from ICAR-IIHR, Karnataka, for research and commercial use.
Since the resources came from a public research institution, 30% of the ABS amount, or Rs 2.01 lakh, is being released to ICAR-IIHR. The remaining amount will be utilised by the NBA in accordance with the Biological Diversity Act.
NBA ABS Disbursement Supports India’s Biodiversity Goals
ICAR-IIHR will use the funds for activities such as repository maintenance, research, biodiversity surveys, taxonomy capacity building and conservation of biological resources and their wild relatives.
The latest disbursement forms part of NBA’s ongoing efforts to implement the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and strengthen India’s ABS framework.
The mechanism aims to ensure that benefits generated from the commercial use of India’s biological resources contribute to biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and the socio-economic development of farmers and local communities.
NBA ABS Releases Reach Rs 185 Crore
With the latest disbursement, the total ABS amount released by the NBA has reached Rs 185 crore, equivalent to around USD 19.34 million.
The initiative also supports India’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), including Target 13 on fair and equitable benefit-sharing.
Key Details
The National Biodiversity Authority has released Rs 2.82 crore under the Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanism, including Rs 2.80 crore to 27 State Biodiversity Boards and three UT Biodiversity Councils and Rs 2.01 lakh to ICAR-IIHR, Karnataka. The funds will support biodiversity conservation, People’s Biodiversity Registers, ecosystem restoration, capacity building and community livelihoods. The NBA’s cumulative ABS disbursement has now reached Rs 185 crore.
