Protection of intellectual property rights for agricultural innovations: evaluating Bangladesh’s progression towards the international plant variety protection regime

In the face of globalization and incremental agricultural trade liberalization, developing countries are confronting a fierce battle in safeguarding their plant varieties, PGRs and traditional agricultural knowledge from biopiracy or being stolen by others. On the other hand, the hardearned intellectual fruits of human knowledge, research and development are also being pirated in the absence of an appropriate legal protection mechanism. A balanced and sui generis plant variety protection system can help countries to protect their local resources and give appropriate recognition, respect and reward to the local farmers and communities for their continuing contribution to conserving, protecting and developing plant varieties. Simultaneously, a balanced plant variety law can grant rights, economic and social benefits, and rewards to agribusinesses and commercial breeders in return for their investment, research, and development in agriculture.