New Delhi: National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed Rs 2.02 crore among 27 States and 3 Union Territories. The amount represents their shares of Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) contributions from seed-sector companies for using biological resources. The ABS funds will support biodiversity conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and local livelihoods.
The contributions cover the use of agricultural biological resources, including rice, eggplant, cauliflower, cucumber, hot pepper, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, tomato and okra. They span multiple varieties and hybrids. East West Seeds India Pvt. Ltd., Syngenta India Ltd., Devgen Seeds and Crop Technology Pvt. Ltd., Limagrain India Pvt. Ltd., Bayer Science & Innovation Pvt. Ltd., Nunhems India Pvt. Ltd. and Enza Zaden India Pvt. Ltd. made the contributions.
In some cases, the NBA could not identify individual benefit claimers because the resources came through markets or traders. It then applied distribution modalities that an expert committee recommended and the Authority approved. Accordingly, it split the beneficiary share among the concerned State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs). The split was based on the cultivation area of the respective resources, as shown in agricultural statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.
Madhya Pradesh and West Bengal get the largest ABS funds
The top 10 States accounted for Rs 1.43 crore of the Rs 2.02 crore disbursed to 27 SBBs and 3 UTBCs. Madhya Pradesh received Rs 23,81,072 and West Bengal Rs 23,32,913. Odisha got Rs 19,75,559, Bihar Rs 17,28,852 and Gujarat Rs 13,29,870.
Chhattisgarh received Rs 11,37,521, Uttar Pradesh Rs 9,80,038 and Andhra Pradesh Rs 9,34,864. Karnataka got Rs 7,87,392 and Maharashtra Rs 7,16,971. Other States and Union Territories together received Rs 58,94,948.
With this release, the NBA’s cumulative ABS disbursement has reached Rs 202.00 crore. The NBA said this shows India’s commitment to equitable benefit-sharing from the use of biological resources. It also stressed reinvesting such benefits in conservation and community welfare.
How the funds will be used
The ABS mechanism offers a way to mobilise financial resources for biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and local development. The disbursements support several initiatives. These include strengthening Biodiversity Management Committees and updating People’s Biodiversity Registers. They also cover conserving traditional crop varieties and medicinal plants, restoring habitats and promoting sustainable management of biological resources at the grassroots. These measures can strengthen institutional capacities and raise the participation of farmers, local communities and other stakeholders in biodiversity governance.
ABS-funded activities can complement Government schemes that promote tribal welfare, sustainable livelihoods and natural-resource-based enterprises. These include the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM-JANMAN), Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission and Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana. Such convergence can strengthen community-led conservation, sustainable use and livelihood opportunities while using existing institutional mechanisms.
ABS framework and COP 17
India’s ABS framework contributes to implementing the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2024–2030. It supports Target 13 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework on fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. It also supports Target 19 on resource mobilisation. The framework further contributes to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
India will take part in the seventeenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 17), which begins on October 19, 2026, in Yerevan, Armenia. The ABS framework shows the country’s continued commitment to biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and fair benefit-sharing, according to the release.
