Tripura’s Toimukh Uttar Pulinpur Village Watershed Committee in Khowai has received the Plant Genome Saviour Community Award 2023–24 for conserving indigenous seeds and traditional crop varieties across 120 hectares, earning national recognition along with a cash prize of ₹10 lakh.
Bringing national recognition to Tripura’s agricultural heritage, the Toimukh Uttar Pulinpur Village Watershed Committee of Khowai district has received the prestigious Plant Genome Saviour Community Award for 2023–24 in recognition of its outstanding efforts to conserve indigenous seeds, protect traditional crop varieties and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
The national award was presented on November 12, 2026, in New Delhi by the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPV&FRA), functioning under the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare. The recognition carries a cash prize of ₹10 lakh, along with a citation and a memento.
The committee, registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860, has been recognised for its dedicated conservation activities across approximately 120 hectares of agricultural land in Uttar Pulinpur and adjoining areas. Its initiatives focus on preserving indigenous agricultural resources and encouraging farmers to continue cultivating traditional crop varieties.
The community actively conserves a diverse range of traditional crops, including rice, maize, tomato, pumpkin, pigeon pea, turmeric, different varieties of gourds, mustard, foxtail millet and chilli. These varieties represent an important part of the region’s agricultural heritage and contribute to maintaining local biodiversity.
One of the major highlights of the committee’s work is its traditional seed-exchange network. Through this community-based system, farmers preserve and share indigenous seeds with fellow cultivators and other agencies, ensuring the availability of traditional varieties for future generations. The practice also helps transfer valuable agricultural knowledge from older generations to younger farmers.
The Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Khowai, has played an important role in supporting the committee through technical guidance, assistance and continuous engagement with local farmers. Its collaboration has strengthened community-led conservation activities and encouraged the cultivation of indigenous crop varieties.
Beyond seed conservation, the community has also undertaken initiatives related to water conservation and climate resilience. Through watershed management activities and the National Innovations on Climate Resilient Agriculture (NICRA) programme in North Pulinpur, the community has developed water-harvesting structures and solar-powered irrigation systems. These interventions have helped provide supplementary irrigation to agricultural land that previously remained fallow due to water shortages.
The award ceremony was attended by several senior officials and distinguished personalities from the agricultural and biodiversity sectors. Dr Pramod Kumar Mishra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister, attended as the chief guest. Other dignitaries included Atish Chandra, Secretary of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare; P.K. Singh, Agriculture Commissioner; Dr M.L. Jat, Director General of ICAR and Secretary, DARE; Virendra Tiwari, Chairperson of the National Biodiversity Authority; Dr T.K. Mahapatra, Chairperson of PPV&FRA; and Dr D.K. Agrawal, Registrar General of PPV&FRA.
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The achievement highlights how active participation by farmers, women and youth, combined with traditional knowledge and modern agricultural interventions, can strengthen rural livelihoods and protect biodiversity.
The national recognition is expected to inspire more farming communities across Tripura to preserve indigenous seeds, safeguard traditional agricultural practices and contribute towards sustainable farming and climate-resilient agriculture.
