The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed ₹3.79 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) scheme to 33 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs), along with select agrobiodiversity research institutions, according to a Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change official on 9 August. The release marks one of the broader disbursements under India's ABS framework, which governs how benefits from commercial use of biological resources are redistributed to source communities and conservation bodies.

Who received the funds

A portion of the ₹3.79 crore was directed to the ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) and, through the Haryana State Biodiversity Board, to the Hisar Bovine Sperm Station and Research Centre. Among the states, Madhya Pradesh received the largest share at ₹46.93 lakh, followed by West Bengal at ₹44.76 lakh and Odisha at ₹44.08 lakh.

What resources the payments cover

The disbursement spans a wide range of India's agrobiodiversity, covering vegetable and oilseed varieties including tomato, chilli, brinjal, cauliflower, watermelon, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, okra, and mustard seed, as well as deep-frozen Sahiwal cattle semen. The ABS amounts were realised from companies — Bayer Science and Innovation Private Limited, HM Clause India Private Limited, and Advanta Enterprises Limited — that accessed vegetable and oilseed genetic resources for research and commercial use. An additional ABS amount arose from Sri Lanka's Department of Animal Production and Health for access to Sahiwal cattle semen.

How the distribution was calculated

Because the companies accessed biological resources through markets, traders, or intermediaries, the original source of access could not be identified in all cases. The NBA adopted benefit-sharing modalities prepared by an Expert Committee and approved by the Authority to address this. Funds were then disbursed proportionately among SBBs and UTBCs based on cultivation-area data published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

How the funds must be used

Recipient boards are required to deploy the funds for specific conservation and community activities: preparation and updating of People's Biodiversity Registers, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, strengthening of Biodiversity Heritage Sites, capacity building of Biodiversity Management Committees, and socio-economic development of local communities. The Ministry said the initiative reaffirms India's commitment to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, particularly Target 13 on equitable benefit sharing and Target 4 on conserving genetic diversity, as well as multiple Sustainable Development Goals including SDG 2, SDG 12, SDG 15, and SDG 17.

The releases are implemented under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, aligned with the Nagoya Protocol, which mandates equitable sharing of benefits when biological resources are accessed by users from other countries. Further disbursements under the ABS framework are expected as more commercial access agreements are formalised.