Two Ethnic Tribes of Northeast Wins National Awards in Agri Sector

Under the supervision of Assam Agricultural University (AAU), two ethnic tribes from the northeast won two national awards in the agriculture sector on Saturday. 

For their contributions in the agricultural sector, the Centre awarded the 'Plant Genome Saviour Community Award' to Dhonsuri Agril farmer cooperative society of Karbi tribe and the 'Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Recognition Award' to Boloram Sorongsa of Dimasa tribe. 

"This is the first time that farmers from two ethnic tribes in the Northeast have won national honours in two categories," AAU vice-chancellor Bidyut Chandan Deka said at a news conference on Saturday. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority, established by the Central government under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001, annually bestows the 'Plant Genome Saviour Community Award' on the basis of shortlisting and site verification of applications received from the community of farmers/farming community-based organisations with a long track record for conserving plant agro-biodiversity. 

Similarly, the authority bestows the 'Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Recognition' award on farmers who work to conserve genetic resources of landraces and wild relatives of economic plants and improve them through selection and preservation, and whose material has been used as gene donors in varieties registered under the PPV & FR Act, 2001." 

About Plant Genome Saviour Awards 

The Authority bestows the "Plant Genome Savior Community Award" on the basis of a shortlisting and site verification of proposals submitted from a community of farmers/farming community based organizations with a long history of plant agrobiodiversity conservation. 

Farmers engaged in the conservation of genetic resources of landraces and wild relatives of economic plants and their improvement through selection and preservation, and the material so selected and preserved has been used as donors of gene in varieties registerable under the PPV&FR Act, 2001 (53 of 2001), are invited to apply for the Plant Genome Savior "Farmer Reward" & "Farmer Recognition" .