Two Wayanad farmers win national plant genome saviour awards

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Two farmers from Wayanad, facilitated and documented by Kerala Agricultural University, have received recognition under the plant genome saviour awards of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA), New Delhi.

Babu N.K., a farmer from Wayanad, documented by Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Wayanad, won the Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Reward for the year 2023-24. He received ₹1.50 lakh, a citation, and a memento from PPV&FRA, New Delhi.

He has been conserving a wide range of traditional and underutilised crop varieties on his four-acre farm. His collection includes 39 varieties of banana, 11 varieties of root tubers, nine varieties of colocasia, six varieties of ginger, four varieties of turmeric, and three varieties of Amorphophallus, besides several varieties of yams, arrowroot, coleus, cassava, mango, jackfruit, passion fruit, arecanut, coconut, cardamom, pepper, and coffee.

Mr. Babu has also shared greater yam germplasm with ICAR-Central Tuber Crops Research Institute for research purposes and contributed seed corms and tubers to the Seed Gene Bank of Kerala Agricultural University.

Sooraj C.S., another farmer from Wayanad, received the Plant Genome Saviour Farmer Recognition for the year 2024-25, along with a cash award of ₹1 lakh, a citation, and a memento from PPV&FRA, New Delhi, for his remarkable contribution to the conservation of crop diversity.

He maintains an extensive collection of 670 diverse genetic resources, including 104 tomato varieties, 23 brinjal varieties, 36 chilli germplasm accessions, 32 banana varieties, 15 rice varieties, 17 tuber varieties, 55 medicinal plant accessions, 58 wild edible leafy plant accessions, and several other vegetable, fruit, spice and ornamental plant varieties. He has also shared leafy vegetable and spice germplasm with Kerala Agricultural University for characterisation and nutritional profiling, besides providing chilli, tomato and brinjal accessions to the Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, College of Agriculture, Vellanikkara, for research purposes.

The awards were distributed at a function held on November 12 in New Delhi. The awards were presented by P.K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister.