The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed approximately ₹1.19 crore to 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one Union Territory Biodiversity Council under the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism to support conservation, sustainable resource use and community welfare.
The allocation, totalling ₹1,18,61,655, represents contributions received from companies for research and commercial use of agricultural biological resources, including maize, rice, pearl millet and cotton.
Maharashtra received the largest share at ₹19,46,149, followed by Rajasthan with ₹13,97,525, Madhya Pradesh with ₹13,32,250 and Karnataka with ₹10,49,957.
Telangana received ₹9,55,754, Gujarat ₹8,84,783, Uttar Pradesh ₹8,26,607, Bihar ₹4,82,143, Andhra Pradesh ₹4,27,541 and West Bengal ₹3,72,103. Other states and the Union Territory collectively received ₹21,86,843.
Since the resources were procured through markets or traders, individual benefit claimants could not be readily identified. The NBA therefore followed a distribution mechanism recommended by an expert committee and approved by the authority.
Allocations were calculated in proportion to estimated cultivation areas of the relevant crops, using official data published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through the Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics.
Contributions for the use of maize and sweet corn varieties came from Corteva Crop India, Pioneer Overseas Corporation, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Limagrain India, Limagrain Thailand, Limagrain Brasil and Syngenta India.
Limagrain India, formerly Bisco Biosciences, also contributed for five maize hybrids, two rice hybrids and three pearl millet hybrids. Cotton-related contributions were received from Corteva Crop India for research involving 16 varieties and Crystal Crop Protection for commercial use of 14 hybrids.
The NBA said agriculture was emerging as a potential contributor to the benefit-sharing mechanism, linking the use of crop resources with support for conservation and local communities.
It has disbursed ₹86 crore collected from the agriculture sector to various beneficiaries. Overall disbursements by the authority have exceeded ₹203 crore.
The latest funds must be used exclusively for activities specified under Section 32(2) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. These include biodiversity documentation, conservation and sustainable use, strengthening local biodiversity governance, research, capacity building and improving community livelihoods.
The release comes ahead of the seventeenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, scheduled for October 19–30 in Yerevan, Armenia.
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said that the NBA disbursements reflected India’s commitment to protecting its biological heritage while ensuring that benefits from its use supported local communities.
