India Emerges as a Strategic Opportunity for Plant Breeders

India's plant variety protection system and rapidly expanding horticultural sector were among the topics discussed during the CIOPORA Annual General Meeting, 2026, Alicante, where Dr. T. Mohapatra, Chairperson of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPVFRA), provided members with an overview of the country's evolving intellectual property framework and market opportunities.

With one of the world's fastest-growing horticultural industries and increasing demand for high-quality planting material, India is attracting growing attention from international breeders. During his presentation, Dr. Mohapatra highlighted that horticultural production in India has already surpassed food grain production and continues to expand, supported by rising consumer demand, increasing incomes, and government investment in the sector.

For breeders, India presents a unique combination of market size and climatic diversity. According to the presentation, the country offers temperate, subtropical, and tropical production environments, creating opportunities across a broad range of crops, including fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, and nursery products. Demand for quality planting material is expected to remain strong, with projections indicating a significant supply gap in the coming years.

The session also provided insights into India's Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights (PPV&FR) Act, a sui generis plant variety protection system established in 2001. Some of the advantages for international breeders are that foreign applicants are treated on equal terms with domestic applicants. The system allows applications for both new varieties and certain existing varieties, while the range of eligible crop species continues to expand, particularly in horticulture, something highly required by breeders.

Dr. Mohapatra highlighted the ongoing efforts to strengthen the framework through enhanced enforcement tools, stronger pre-registration protection, and reforms related to essentially derived varieties (EDVs).

While these developments create significant opportunities, CIOPORA continues to engage with Indian authorities on several aspects of the current legal framework to bring it to an international standard, allowing more breeders to access this attractive market.

One key topic is the protection of Essentially Derived Varieties (EDVs). CIOPORA has recommended aligning India's EDV provisions more closely with internationally accepted principles and recent developments within the UPOV framework, providing greater legal certainty for breeders investing in long-term innovation.

Another important issue concerns the protection of harvested material. For many fruit and ornamental crops, the commercial value lies in the harvested product itself, such as fruits or cut flowers, rather than the propagating material. CIOPORA has therefore advocated for extending protection to harvested and processed material, enabling breeders to better enforce their rights throughout the value chain.

CIOPORA has also highlighted concerns regarding the application of India's broad farmers' rights provisions to vegetatively propagated horticultural varieties. Under the current framework, growers may save, exchange, share, and sell propagating material of protected varieties under certain conditions. For crops such as fruit, roses, and other ornamentals, this can significantly limit breeders' ability to obtain a return on their investment and may reduce incentives for future innovation.

The discussion generated considerable interest among CIOPORA members, many of whom view India as an increasingly important market for future breeding and commercialization activities.

Building on the momentum created during the AGM, CIOPORA is currently exploring the possibility of organizing a future Mission to India. Such an initiative would provide members with an opportunity to engage directly with policymakers, industry representatives, intellectual property authorities, and local stakeholders, while gaining a deeper understanding of the opportunities and challenges associated with operating in one of the world's most dynamic horticultural markets.

As India continues to strengthen its innovation ecosystem and expand its horticultural sector, CIOPORA looks forward to further dialogue and collaboration with Indian partners in support of plant breeding innovation and effective intellectual property protection.