The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released ₹15.52 crore in Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) proceeds from M/s. Pioneer Overseas Corporation, which developed ten commercial mustard (Brassica juncea) hybrid varieties using India's biological resources. The amount will be distributed among 26 State Biodiversity Boards and 3 Union Territory Biodiversity Councils based on the area under mustard cultivation in each state, with cultivation-area figures sourced from the ICAR–Indian Institute of Rapeseed-Mustard Research in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
Rajasthan receives the highest benefit of ₹6.43 crore, accounting for nearly 42% of India's mustard cultivation, followed by Uttar Pradesh (₹2.28 crore), Madhya Pradesh (₹1.86 crore), Haryana (₹1.21 crore), West Bengal (₹1.10 crore), Jharkhand (₹0.73 crore), Assam (₹0.53 crore), Gujarat (₹0.48 crore), Bihar (₹0.15 crore), and Punjab (₹0.08 crore). Other states collectively receive ₹0.67 crore, with almost every state and union territory receiving a proportionate share due to nationwide mustard cultivation.
The ABS mechanism was implemented because the parental lines for the mustard varieties were sourced from the open market and traders, making it impossible to identify individual farmers or communities as the source. An NBA-constituted Expert Committee developed modalities for such cases, approved by the Authority, whereby ABS is shared among SBBs/UTBCs where the resource is cultivated when biological resources are accessed from intermediaries.
All recipient bodies must utilize the ABS amount as per Section 32 of the Biological Diversity Act, which includes conservation-linked work, documenting and updating People's Biodiversity Registers, in-situ and ex-situ conservation of biodiversity, restoring degraded ecosystems, strengthening Biodiversity Heritage Sites, building capacity of Biodiversity Management Committees, and improving community livelihoods.
This release is part of NBA's ongoing effort under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, to ensure fair benefit sharing when India's genetic resources create commercial value, aligning with the Nagoya Protocol and Target 13 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. The NBA has released a total ABS amount of ₹182.5 crore to date, including ₹116.22 crore disbursed to beneficiaries across the country in the last 12 months.