Jai Singh Rana, Country Director of Biodiversity in Asia.
According to Dr. Jai Singh Rana, Country Director of Bioversity in Asia, the Rome-based Alliance Bioversity and CIAT (International Center for Tropical Agriculture) are promoting the cultivation and conservation of 20-25 indigenous varieties of Indian crops as part of their efforts to conserve genetic resources.
“We are promoting native varieties in more than 3 lakh hectares. We are working in 15 states. We market these native genetic resources and help people cultivate them,” Rana said. business Line.
Non-profit alliance Bioversity and CIAT formed an alliance in 2019 to tackle climate change, biodiversity loss, environmental degradation and malnutrition.
global presence
The alliance is present in more than 100 countries including Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe. Alliance Bioversity has been present in India for over 40 years.
“In India, our work has been to do value-addition, branding and licensing of breaking native breeds apart from cultivation and conservation of native breeds,” he said.
The consortium is almost exclusively tapping private gene banks, most of which are family-owned. It also profiles these varieties for nutritional properties in addition to taste. The Rome-based organization is promoting indigenous varieties of bananas, rice, beans, cassava (tapioca) and legumes.
Tamil Nadu Rice Project
“India is a diverse country, rich in biodiversity and genetic resources. We have collaborated with the Government of India and organizations like the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),” Rana said.
In Asia, the consortium is working in countries including Nepal, Bangladesh, China, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Laos. It spends about ₹10 crore annually in India. It has a similar function in Africa, where it promotes the cultivation of bananas, beans and cassava.
“In Tamil Nadu, we have been working with Green Cause Foundation, founded by former Hindu journalist MJ Prabhu, to promote native rice varieties for the last 7-8 years. We plan to expand our activities to local varieties of other crops in the state as well.”
In Tamil Nadu, Green Cause Foundation with the support of the alliance has established three seed banks of indigenous rice varieties. It now supports similar seed banks in other parts of the state.
coalition work
The alliance’s India director said the alliance is supporting similar projects in states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and Odisha.
The alliance is an integral part of the CGIAR (Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research) system. The Coalition’s work supports the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Global Biodiversity Target, the 2016 Paris Climate Agreement and the Bonn Challenge, among other international initiatives.
Published on February 16, 2026
