Context:

The farmer’s family, which developed and promoted Keonjhar Kalachampa the paddy variety, is seeking a share of profits arising from the seed’s commercialisation.

More on the News

• If successful, it would mark the first instance of a farmer in Odisha being compensated under an initiative of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA).
• To prevent any bio-piracy and cornering of profits from the community’s resources / knowledge/ traditional practices by private commercial interest groups, it was felt that it is essential to follow the legal framework prescribed in the PPV&FR Act, and get the farmers’ varieties registered.
• Keonjhar Kalachampa is one of Odisha’s 780 paddy varieties registered with the PPV&FRA.

Keonjhar Kalachampa: 

• Notified in 2015, it is among the first traditional varieties of farmers in India to be integrated into the formal seed supply chain.
• This local variety of paddy has an impressive yield of 96 quintals/ hectare (fresh) or 75 quintals/ hectare (dry).

Key Features

• Kalachampa has dark pink leaves in the lower canopy
• It shows moderate tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. 
• It can resist brown plant hopper with high amylose content. 
• Disease and Pest Tolerance: Performs well under field conditions in coastal Odisha
• Sowing Flexibility: It is suitable for both timely and late sowing.
• Non-lodging: Resistant to bending or falling over

Origin and Registration

• The paddy variety was first registered in the name of Anirudha Jena, a farmer of Guhalia village in Anandpur block of Odisha.
  After his death, registration was transferred to his son, Mr. Jayant Jena, in 2025.
• The Indian government notified the variety in 2015 after it was officially released by the State Seed Sub-Committee following the recommendation of the Agriculture and Food Production Directorate, Odisha.

Seed Production and Distribution

• The State Seed Testing Laboratory (SSTL) has taken the responsibility of producing the breeder seeds, or genetically pure seed, since 2016.
• The Orissa University of Agriculture Technology (OUAT) had taken the responsibility of producing the seed, while the Odisha State Seeds Corporation (OSSC) and private companies are marketing the variety.
  OSSC alone has produced and distributed more than 87,000 quintals of certified seed of this variety from 2018 to 2023

Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPV&FRA)

• The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPV&FRA) was established in 2005 to implement the PPV&FR Act, 2001.
• This Act aims to protect plant varieties, recognize farmers' rights, and encourage the development of new plant varieties in India. 
• This organisation is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, that protects plant varieties and farmers' rights in India.