Bureau of Indian Standards under Department of Consumer Affairs Releases IS 20201:2026 to Safeguard Indigenous Crop Varieties and Align with Sustainable Development Goal 2

India, June 11 -- The Government of India has issued a release:

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) under the Department of Consumer Affairs, Government of India, has recently published a new Indian Standard - IS 20201:2026 Community Seed Bank Management - Requirements. Formulated by the Biodiversity Sectional Committee (EED 06) under the Environment and Ecology Department (EED) of BIS, this standard introduces a comprehensive, structured management framework for Community Seed Banks (CSBs) across the country.

As an agrarian society experiencing the impacts of climate change including erratic precipitation, rising temperatures, and prolonged droughts; India's native seed varieties represent an invaluable strategic resource. Different tra...