CHENNAI : The Irulas, India’s most experienced snake venom extractors, will soon be getting a better deal. The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board have started the process of streamlining anti-venom production by bringing the biopharmaceutical companies, which buy venom stocks from Irulas, under Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) of Biodiversity Act, 2002.
The NBA has already written to about 10 major biopharmaceutical companies to comply with the provisions of the Biodiversity Act (2014 guidelines). Once the ABS is fully enforced, the companies have to seek approval of the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board for access to biological resource (snake venom). If the company has a foreign connection, the NBA will give approval. Terms and conditions for access will be laid down in consultation with the Irula community and the block-level Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC).
As per the guidelines, when the biological resources are accessed for commercial utilisation, the manufacturer of anti-venom is obligated to pay a percentage of benefit sharing, ranging from 3% to 5% of annual ex-factory sale of product. T Rabikumar, secretary, NBA, told Express, “After we asked the companies to comply, one Hyderabad-based firm Biological E Limited has submitted an application and we are in the process of giving approval. Talks are being held with other companies too. The benefit sharing will go to the Irula community,” he said.
Currently, the biopharmaceutical firms buy venom directly from the Irula Snake Catchers Industrial Cooperative Society, which has been set up in 1978. The society initially started with 26 members, today has 366 members. They catch snakes, extract and freeze-dry venom and release snakes back after three extractions.
Rabikumar said the Irula society was making a turnover of `3.5 crore per annum, but the companies may be earning close to `150 crore as the anti-venom produced from the snake venom is having high economic value. “So, some percentage of the revenue earned from the sale of anti-venom should go to the Irula community and habitat protection,” he said.
RK Upadhyay, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Head of forest force), has requested both NBA and Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board to make sure the interest of Irula community is protected. “We have to salute them for making living out of snake extraction,” he said. A representative of the Irula cooperative society, said that on an average, about 8,000 snakes are harvested.