The government should ensure that the legal provisions of the "Plant Breeders' Rights Act 2016 (PBR)" become fully operational and breeders, research institutes and seed companies begin to capture the true value of their research efforts, encouraging investment in latest plant breeding technologies.
Experts told Business Recorder here on Monday that the law protecting plant breeders' rights was enacted late last year, in line with the federal government's commitment to enhance agricultural productivity by promoting research, innovation and technology. The law provides much needed protection to individual farmer and commercial breeding operations, allowing for greater investment in research and development of latest plant varieties. By allowing clear ownership of the intellectual property to the developer of a new plant variety, the "Plant Breeders' Rights Act 2016 (PBR)" has addressed a key failing of the previous legal frameworks.
However, effective implementation poses the most formidable challenge in the months to come. Whereas the law provides the foundation for subsequent action and enforcement, details around the exact working and implementation of the law will need to be defined through subordinate rules. Furthermore, the necessary institutional arrangement along with adequate resource allocation will also be required to ensure that the legal provisions of the Act are fully operational and breeders, research institutes and seed companies begin to capture the true value of their research efforts.
Dr Muhammad Afzal, Executive Director at CropLife Pakistan expressed similar views, explaining that in order to achieve the overarching goal of the PBR 2016 Act, the government will have to commit adequate resources for its implementation. He remained optimistic about the implementation of the law in letter and in spirit, calling it a key milestone in strengthening legitimate rights of the local plant breeders and incentivize the international agencies for development of a vibrant local seed industry, in the country. "Once fully implemented, PBR 2016 Act will greatly incentivize investment in latest plant breeding technologies", he added.
Protection of propriety knowledge is central to the sustainability of meaningful investment in research and development. Therefore, plant breeding is a fundamental part of the agriculture value chain and has an important role to play in terms of developing seed varieties that meet various considerations, including crop productivity, climate change, resource scarcity and pest attack.