One-day seminar on “Plant Breeders’ Rights and Plant Variety Protection” arranged by the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture Faisalabad.

FAISALABAD July 27: Experts on Monday at the University of Agriculture Faisalabad said that amid the growing challenges of climate change, water scarcity, emerging pests and diseases, and need to strengthen Pakistan's food security, the development of climate-resilient, high-yielding, and resource-efficient crop varieties have become a national imperative. The Plant Breeders' Rights Registry, under the Plant Breeders' Rights Act, 2016, is playing a pivotal role in fostering agricultural innovation by safeguarding the intellectual property rights of plant breeders while encouraging the development of improved varieties capable of withstanding climatic stresses. They addressed one-day seminar on “Plant Breeders’ Rights and Plant Variety Protection” arranged by the Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, University of Agriculture Faisalabad; Plant Breeders Rights Registry Pakistan and Pakistan Society of Plant Breeders and Genetics at the National Seed Research and Training Center. It was meant to enhance awareness about the legal, technical and institutional mechanisms for protecting new plant varieties and to promote innovation in plant breeding and agricultural research. UAF Vice Chancellor Prof. Dr. Zulfiqar Ali said that the protection of plant breeders’ rights encourages innovation, research and investment in the agriculture. He emphasized that universities and research institutions have a critical role in developing improved crop varieties capable of addressing challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, emerging pests and diseases, and growing food requirements. He said that the public-private partnership will open up new avenue of progress in propagating the protected and high yielded agriculture. He stressed the need to establish stronger linkages between academia, research institutions, government agencies, plant breeders and farmers. Plant Breeders’ Rights Registry (PBRR) Registrar Dr Muhammad Naeem said that the Registry facilitates the protection and certification of new plant varieties, maintains the national register of protected varieties, documents their characterization, safeguards the rights of breeders and farmers, , and promotes research-driven innovation to enhance agricultural productivity, resilience, and sustainable food systems in Pakistan. He stressed the need for greater coordination between the PBR Registry, universities, research public and private organizations and breeders to make the protection process more effective and accessible. Plant Breeding and Genetics Chairman Prof Dr. Azeem Iqbal said that the registration and protection of new plant varieties should not be viewed merely as a regulatory requirement but as a fundamental pillar of modern agricultural development. He called for greater awareness among researchers, breeders and farmers about the Plant Breeders’ Rights framework. He stressed the need for stronger collaboration between academia, the Plant Breeders’ Rights Registry, research organizations, policymakers and the private sector. Dr Tehseen Azhar, Dr Muhammad Kashif, Dr Muhamamd Aslam, Dr Rizwana Maqbool, Dr Humera Razzaq, Dr Zaheer Ahmad, Dr Nadeem Akbar, Dr Muhammad Usman, Dr Muhammad Ahsan, Dr Raheela Rahman, Dr Rabia Faridi, Dr Muneum Khan, and other notables attended.