Chennai: Out of over 4,000 plant varieties in the country, only 360 have been documented so far, a top official said today. "There are over 360 plant varieties registered in the country so far and we have received over 3,500 more applications for registration of new varieties of plants," P L Gautam, Chairperson, Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers` Rights Authority (PPV&FR) told reporters here.

The Authority was working closely with farmers across the country as it considered them as scientists too, he said.

PPV and FR was established in New Delhi to realise the objectives of the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers` Rights Act of 2001. The Act was passed for establishment of an effective system for protection of plant varieties, the rights of farmers and plant breeders and to encourage the development of new varieties of plants.
PTI