The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001
Chapter VI Farmers
Rights
39. Farmers' right.-
1. Notwithstanding
anything contained in this Act,-
i.
a
farmer who has bred or developed a new variety shall be entitled for
registration and other protection in like manner as a breeder of a variety
under this Act;
ii.
the
farmers' variety shall be entitled for registration if the application contains
declaration as specified in clause (h) of sub-section (1) of section 18;
iii.
a
farmer who is engaged in the conservation of genetic resources of land races
and wild relatives of economic plants and their improvement through selection
and preservation shall be entitled in the prescribed manner for recognition and
reward from the Gene Fund: Provided that material so selected and preserved has
been used as donors of genes in varieties registrable under this Act;
iv.
a
farmer shall be deemed to be entitled to save, use, sow, resow, exchange, share
or sell his farm produce including seed of a variety protected under this Act
in the same manner as he was entitled before the coming into force of this Act:
Provided that the farmer shall not be entitled to sell branded seed of a variety
protected under this Act.
Explanation.- For the
purposes of clause (iv), "branded seed" means any seed put in a
package or any other container and labelled in a manner indicating that such
seed is of a variety protected under this Act. (2) Where any propagating
material of a variety registered under this Act has been sold to a farmer or a
group of farmers or any organisation of farmers, the breeder of such variety
shall disclose to the farmer or the group of farmers or the organisation of
farmers, as the case may be, the expected performance under given conditions,
and if such propagating material fails to provide such performance under such
given conditions, the farmer or the group of farmers or the organisation of
farmers, as the case may be, may claim compensation in the prescribed manner
before the Authority and the Authority, after giving notice to the breeder of
the variety and after providing him an opportunity to file opposition in the
prescribed manner and after hearing the pa ties, may direct the breeder of the
variety to pay such compensation as it deems fit, to the farmer or the group of
farmers or the organisation of farmers, as the case may be.