Plant registration body officials visit CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University

Palampur, February 19

Officials from the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Right Authority (PPV&FRA), New Delhi, today visited CSK Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University (HPAU) here.

PPV&FRA Registrar General Dr DK Aggarwal and Deputy Registrar RS Sengar held discussions with HPAU Vice-Chancellor Prof HK Chaudhary regarding the registration process of released and farmers’ varieties of different crops in the state.

Chaudhary said the state had a vast variety of crops such as red rice, maize, kulthi, mash, rajmash, millets, chilli, garlic, colocasia, cucumber, reddish, potato, ginger, etc. He said the university was making efforts for the characterisation and purification of farmers’ varieties for registration with the PPV&FRA to protect farmers’ rights.

He said Chhohartu, a farmers’ variety of red rice grown in Chohara and Ransar valleys of Rohru in Shimla and three landraces of maize — Hachhi, Ratti and Chitku — grown in Salooni block of Chamba had been registered with the institution. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research had awarded both the communities Rs 10 lakh each under the Plant Genome Saviour Community Award.

The Germplasm Resource Network would soon be established in the university to harness the potential of plant genetic resources of the Northwest Himalayas, said the VC. He added that while the university had already registered 28 released varieties, applications have also been submitted for the registration of farmers’ varieties of rice, rajmash and mash.