NBA releases ₹6.67 crore under Access and Benefit Sharing to 11 cotton-growing States
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) announced on 22 July 2026 that it has released ₹6.67 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism to 11 cotton-growing States for biodiversity conservation and livelihood support.
Summary
The NBA realised a benefit-sharing amount of ₹7.62 crore from Bayer Science & Innovation Pvt. Ltd. (formerly Monsanto Holdings Pvt. Ltd.) for research involving 25,431 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) varieties. Because the resources were accessed through traders and intermediaries, individual conservers could not be identified, so the money is being routed to States under the Biological Diversity Act.
Key facts
- Released
- ₹6.67 crore to 11 cotton-growing States
- Mechanism
- Access and Benefit Sharing, Biological Diversity Act
- Amount realised
- ₹7.62 crore
- From
- Bayer Science & Innovation Pvt. Ltd. (formerly Monsanto Holdings)
- Research base
- 25,431 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) varieties
Practice MCQs 2 questions
Under which mechanism did the National Biodiversity Authority release ₹6.67 crore to 11 cotton-growing States in July 2026?
Show answer
Correct answer: A — Access and Benefit Sharing
The money was released under the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism of the Biological Diversity Act.
The ₹7.62 crore benefit-sharing amount used for the NBA's July 2026 release to cotton-growing States came from research on how many cotton varieties?
Show answer
Correct answer: C — 25,431
The amount was realised from Bayer Science & Innovation for research involving 25,431 cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) varieties.