Plant Genome explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
These Rules give effect to section 39(1)(iii) of the Act, which entitles a farmer engaged in conserving landraces and wild relatives of economic plants "in the prescribed manner" to recognition and reward from the Gene Fund. They create the Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Reward and Recognition, set up a thirteen-member selection committee and prescribe the application.
Rules as amended up to the Amendment Rules, 2015 (G.S.R. 495(E) of 15 June 2015). Later notifications should be checked on plantauthority.gov.in.
A farmer who conserves genetic resources of landraces and wild relatives of economic plants and improves them through selection and preservation can receive the Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Reward or Recognition. The material must have been used as donors of genes in varieties registrable under the Act. Up to ten rewards and twenty recognitions a year may be given, selected by a thirteen-member committee with a quorum of five. Shortlisted farmers deposit seed in the National Gene Bank and a farmer can receive the award only once. The rules were made as G.S.R. 601(E) of 31 July 2012.
Where the Rules come from
G.S.R. 601(E) of 31 July 2012 was made by the Central Government under section 39(1)(iii) of the Act. The short title is the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (Recognition and Reward from the Gene Fund) Rules, 2012. They came into force on publication in the Official Gazette. Section 39(1)(iii) reads that a farmer who is engaged in the conservation of genetic resources of landraces 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 the material so selected and preserved has been used as donors of genes in varieties registrable under the Act. See section 39.
Farmers and farmers' groups preparing an application can ask our legal consultation team to review it.
Rules 2 and 3: the Reward and the Recognition
| Rule | Provision |
|---|---|
| 2(1) | A farmer engaged in the conservation of genetic resources of landraces and wild relatives of economic plants and their improvement through selection and preservation "shall be entitled to a reward to be called the 'Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Reward'" |
| 2(2) | A maximum of ten rewards or less in a financial year |
| 2(3) | The reward comprises a citation, memento and cash. As amended in 2015: "such an amount of cash as may be decided by the Central Government" |
| 3(1) | The same farmer is entitled to recognition, called the "Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Recognition" |
| 3(2) | The recognition consists of a citation and memento (as amended in 2015: "citation, memento and such an amount of cash as may be decided by the Central Government"), subject to a maximum of twenty recognition certificates in a financial year |
The 2015 Amendment Rules (published on 15 June 2015) replaced the fixed cash amount of the original reward with the words "such an amount of cash as may be decided by the Central Government", and added a cash component of the same kind to the recognition. The amount is therefore not fixed in the Rules; it is decided by the Central Government.
Rule 4: annual conferment
The recognition and reward "shall be conferred annually" (4(1)). The details and application form "shall be widely publicised through newspaper and website of the Authority" (4(2)). Check plantauthority.gov.in for the current call for applications.
Rule 5: eligibility and selection
Eligibility (5(1) and (2)). Eligibility follows section 39(1)(iii): the farmer must be engaged in conserving genetic resources of landraces and wild relatives of economic plants and improving them through selection and preservation, and the material so selected and preserved must have been used as donors of genes in varieties registrable under the Act.
The committee (5(3) and (4)). "A Thirteen member committee headed by Additional Secretary/Special Secretary looking after the Extension work in Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, as Chairman shall determine the eligibility and select the awardees". The members are:
| Place | Member |
|---|---|
| (a) | Additional Secretary or Special Secretary looking after Extension work, Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (Chairman) |
| (b) | Deputy Director-General (Agricultural Extension), Indian Council of Agricultural Research |
| (c) | Deputy Director-General (CAPART) |
| (d) | Joint Secretary (Extension), Department of Agriculture and Cooperation |
| (e) | Joint Secretary (Seeds), Department of Agriculture and Cooperation |
| (f) | Joint Secretary, Ministry of Panchayati Raj |
| (g) | Joint Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs |
| (h) | Chief Executive Officer, National Medicinal Plants Board |
| (i) | Secretary, National Biodiversity Authority |
| (j) to (l) | Representatives of a farmers' organisation, a women's organisation, and a non-governmental organisation relating to agriculture and agriculture universities |
| (m) | The Registrar (Farmers' Rights), ex officio Member-Secretary |
Quorum (5(5)). Five.
Seed deposit (5(6)). "The farmers shortlisted for recognition and reward shall be required to deposit in the National Gene Bank of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Right Authority a specified quantity of seeds or propagating material to be decided by the Chairperson of the Authority."
Once only (5(7)). "The farmers once entitled for Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Reward or Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Recognition shall not be eligible to apply again."
Rule 6 and the Schedules: the application
Rule 6 has three parts.
- 6(1): the application for the Reward or Recognition is in the form in the Schedule.
- 6(2): the applicant submits a declaration in the form in Schedule II.
- 6(3): applications are forwarded through the Chairperson or Secretary of the concerned Panchayat Biodiversity Management Committee, or the concerned District Agricultural Officer, or the Director of Research of the concerned State Agriculture University, or the concerned District Tribal Development Office.
The Schedule form asks for: the year; the name of the applicant in capitals; postal address with block, village, post office, district, State, pin, telephone, e-mail, fax and mobile; location of the conservation sites and the plants and varieties conserved; whether the material has been used as donors of genes in varieties registrable under the Act, with a certificate from the concerned institution; how many varieties (including farmers' varieties, landraces, wild relatives and other genetic resources) were conserved, crop-wise; the area cultivated with the conserved varieties; innovative methods of conservation; varieties developed from the conserved variety; the distinct trait identified in it; the organisation that identified the trait; whether the farmer has been rewarded or recognised by any other organisation; agencies conversant with the claims, governmental and non-governmental; and whether the material appears in the People's Biodiversity Register.
The Notes to the form say: sign each page; no application fee is payable; extra pages may be attached; clarification may be sought from the Authority's officials; the declaration is to be attached. Schedule II is a declaration that the information given is true to the applicant's knowledge, information and belief, with a certification by one of the endorsing officers that the farmer has conserved and improved the material and that it has been used as donor of genes in registrable varieties.
The Gene Fund, from which the reward is paid, is described in sections 45 and 46; the community-level award is in the Community Award Rules.
Need help with a reward application?
The application needs a certificate on gene-donor use, an endorsement and clear records of the conservation work. Our legal consultation team can help a farmer or group assemble and present the papers.
Key takeaways
- The Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Reward and Recognition implement section 39(1)(iii) of the Act.
- The conserved material must have been used as donors of genes in varieties registrable under the Act.
- Up to ten rewards and twenty recognitions a year; the cash amount is decided by the Central Government (2015 amendment).
- A thirteen-member committee with a quorum of five selects awardees; shortlisted farmers deposit seed in the National Gene Bank.
- A farmer can receive the award once only; no application fee is payable.
Read next
Disclaimer: Based on the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001 as amended up to the Tribunals Reforms Act, 2021, the PPV&FR Rules, 2003 as amended up to G.S.R. 803(E) of 16 November 2021, and the regulations, rules and scheme named in the article, as published by the PPV&FR Authority and consulted on 3 October 2026. Later notifications should be checked on plantauthority.gov.in. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.