Policy, politics, and implications of Pakistan’s Plant Breeders’ Rights Act

This chapter considers the history of the Pakistani seed sector, describing the role that public and private institutions have played in the development and commercialisation of improved plant varieties in the country. It examines the nature of customary seed management practices, and the role that these and other seed transaction practices that have not been officially sanctioned play in the national seed economy. The chapter analyses the politics of the implementation and oversight of the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act in Pakistan. It explores the salient features of the Act, evaluating the ways in which the Pakistani framework is similar to or distinct from International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants 1991. The chapter discusses the possible implications that the Plant Breeders’ Rights Act could have for different actors in the national seed economy, including public institutions, private industry, and local farming communities.