INR 2481 Crore Investment in Agri Innovation to Boost Biodiversity Conservation
NEW DELHI, 2 April 2025: In a major step towards strengthening India’s agricultural biodiversity and ensuring future food and nutritional security, the Government has announced the establishment of the country’s Second National Gene Bank.
This state-of-the-art facility will have the capacity to conserve 10 lakh crop germplasm — the largest initiative of its kind in India — aimed at protecting indigenous crop varieties and strengthening food resilience.
The announcement comes under the Union Budget 2025-26 theme of “Investing in Innovations”, reflecting the Centre's strategic focus on long-term agricultural sustainability and biodiversity conservation.
Currently, India’s first National Gene Bank at the ICAR-National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources (NBPGR) in New Delhi is the second largest gene bank in the world, preserving 4,71,561 accessions from 2157 plant species. These genetic resources play a critical role in supporting public and private sector research in crop improvement, climate-resilient farming, and seed conservation.
The new gene bank will further cement India’s position as a global leader in biodiversity conservation, ensuring that future generations have access to vital crop varieties for food production, nutrition enhancement, and climate adaptation.
This information was shared by Bhagirath Choudhary, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
Image credit: icrisat.org
