Seed industry in India: issues arising out of GATT

Abstract

Any analysis of the Intellectual Property Rights relating to the seed industry in India needs to take cognizance of three interrelated issues: (a) that the current debate on IPR is part of a larger debate on issues relating to GATT; (b) that the options on IPR are intricately linked to the New Economic Policy and the accompanying liberalization process; and (c) that the IPR relating to plant varieties need to be seen in a broader framework of the seed policy pursued by the government.