CALCUTTA, Sept 8: The West Bengal government has expressed reservation over the centres proposal to promulgate a plant varieties act as per trips section of the GATT agreement, according to the state s Agriculture Minister Nihar Ghose, reports PTl.

"In short, the objective of the proposed act is to.protect the rights of the developers of new varieties," Bose said.

He said here yesterday that the state did not agree with the government of India's views that such protection of rights would stimulate investment in plant breeding and research and also would create a climate of competitiveness In the field of research and development both in the public and private sectors.

Bose said "it seems to us that Instead of liberalising the availability of seeds, the gov eminent of India is proposing a rigid and difficult system ■Rtlich will deprive our small and marginal farmers of seeds of high quality."

He apprehended that the seed cost would go up. small holding would cease to be vl able and all that "we have done for land reforms would become meaningless