Thrissur: The most pertinent question in contemporary farming is the ownership of seeds and varieties, says Plant Genome Saviour Award winner and farmers’ representative in KAU General Council Cheruvayal Raman. He was speaking at the one-day workshop on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs), protection of trait specific germ plasm and traditional varieties organized by Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) IPR Cell here on Friday.
“Having been involved in farming for almost 60 years, I have never considered seed as a commodity. I have ensured that those taking seeds from me use it for cultivation and return the seeds they took. I also believe that farmers, who produce food grains, should be honoured along with parents, teachers and doctors for the most vital contributions to your society,” said Mr Raman who inaugurated the workshop.
He also exhorted students to combine practical lessons and traditional knowledge with the information gathered from books so that they could perfect knowledge. KAU Director of Research Dr.P.Indiradevi in her presidential address pointed out that propagating and promoting the cultivation of traditional varieties was the best way to conserve them. Registrar Dr.S.Leena Kumary highlighted the importance of seed as the most basic and crucial factor of farming.
Members of the General Council Dr.B.Suma, Dr.K.Arvindakshan, Dr.Sakkir Hussein and P.K.Sreekumar, Director of Extension Dr.Jiju P Alex, IPR Cell coordinator Dr.C.R.Elsy and Agricultural Research Service (ARS) head Dr.A.Latha spoke. The inaugural session was followed by technical lectures on IPR issues and parameters.
