| | The enactment of Intellectual Property Rights legislation and its enforcement are
two distinct tasks, and the latter requires development of institutional capacity. The
impact of IPRs should be seen in conjunction with economic policies and other
regulations like seed and biosafety rules, which are also important for the growth
and diversification of the Indian seed industry. This paper examines the implications of
the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act of 2001. The expected impacts
on plant breeding priorities, relations of public research with private seed companies
and farmers, transfer of technologies by multinationals and seed prices are also
discussed. It suggests that the public sector should learn to manage its IPRs to
strike a balance between the efficiency and equity objectives.
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