New Delhi, April 1 -- The Parties to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (PGRFA) - also known as the Plant treaty - are gathered in Rome with a controversial agenda on the table. At the thirteenth meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group to Enhance the Functioning of the Multilateral System (MLS), which began on April 1, 2025, Parties will discuss a plan that could dilute the treaty's benefit-sharing provisions by freeing access to genetic resources.

At present, only 35 food crops and 29 forage plants are listed in Annex 1 of the treaty. These are subject to the treaty's MLS for access and benefit-sharing. The proposed amendment would remove this limit and allow all plant species to be eligi...