ASG advises Centre to clarify law over cotton seed prices

Existing deadlock renders future investments in the sector uncertain, say industry players

Differing interpretations by the government and the industry on the interoperability of the Indian Patent Act and the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act have caused uncertainty over future technology investments that could cause damage to cotton farmers across the country.
 
A letter dated June 16 to the agriculture secretary, Additional Solicitor-General (ASG) Tushar Mehta said, “It is my considered opinion that the central government must file written submissions confining to the questions of law and without touching upon the internal disputes between the two private companies.”
 
Mehta was responding to a letter written by the