Ministry of Environment & Forest and Climate Change vide its notification No. S.O. 3232 dated 17.12.2014 has, in consultation with the National Biodiversity Authority, declared that the Department of Agriculture & Cooperation may, from time to time specify such crops as it considers necessary from amongst the crops listed in the Annex-I of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic resources for Food and Agriculture (lTPGRFA), being food crops and forages covered under the multilateral system thereof; and accordingly exempt them from section 3& 4 of the said act, for the purpose of utilization and conservation for research, breeding and training for food and agriculture. Accordingly, Department of Agriculture & Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, declares all the crops listed in the Annex-I o ITPGRFA to be exempted from Section 3&4 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (18 of 2003) for the purpose of utilization and conservation or research, breeding and training for food and agriculture. The exempted crops will be governed by the guidelines to facilitate the exchange of Plant Genetic Resources under the Multilateral System of ITPGRFA issued by this Department OM of even no. dated 30.07.2014.