Protection of noble plant varieties forms an indispensable aspect of agricultural sector. Apart from facilitating access to numerous improved plant strains, plant protection primarily caters to the needs of the breeders and serves to prevent them from commercially exploiting these improved varieties. Plant variety protection has had till the point of its inception, numerous positive influences on the global scale. Here are some of its well-recognized impacts.
* Promoting wellbeing through raise in economy
Several countries rely heavily upon their agricultural sector to contribute to the net GDP every year. In places like Uganda, agriculture employs almost 80% of the citizens. Presence of protected plant varieties facilitates increased access to inputs like seeds and grafts that can be used affordably. Protected plant varieties by causing enhanced production, call for greater support in the form of more employment in the agricultural division. This impacts positively the overall wellbeing of the population and contributes to the agricultural economy.
* Enhanced opportunities for marketing
When there are a bunch of regionally protected plant varieties the country emerges as a local food basket. With the help of the plant variety protection principle, the breeder who is credited with the invention of the new variety obtains the right to license it, patent it or become an exclusive marketer to sell the variety in the markets. Such lucrative opportunities not only boost the agricultural markets of a country but also allow them to create a niche for themselves amidst the competing markets overflowing with regular varieties of cash crops and commercial crops.
* Irresistible incentive to breeders
Although agriculture qualifies as the major driver of economy in most countries there are still some nations that continue to face severe food deficits perennially. The plant variety protection system has established the fact that protection of plant varieties may be seen as a legal tool to promote development in agriculture. Breeders will gain the incentive of patenting; licensing or marketing of protected types and this knowledge will itself drive them in developing noble ones. This will thereby improve farmer productivity and ensure better food security as well as living standards for farmers.
* Encourage research & innovation
Protection of plant varieties encourages innovation and encourages breeders to indulge in research to uncover newer, improved varieties and thus broaden the existing database of crop categories. Several protocols laid down over this topic ensure disbursement of attractive emoluments and incentives in the form of rights to license or market the protected varieties in exchange for discovering them.
Plant variety protection is a system that motivates them to devote time and resources for investing as well as researching noble and improved varieties that are eventually rendered accessible to adept farmers by the Plant Variety Protection system. There are a number of organizations and specialists who provide suggestions and guidance to the breeders about different techniques to render the protected and special varieties for good results.