52 SOCIAL SCIENTIST resources dispute also brings out the complexity of issues involved in the discussion on the new international order. These include the patenting laws, monopoly plant breeders' rights (PBR), orientation of agricultural research and development, the problems of plant genetic conservation and storage, preservation of genetic diversity, and several issues relating to technology transfer, besides those arising from the neo-colonial domination of international agencies. Central to the genetic resources dispute is the realisation that while much of the Third World genetic diversity has been lost under the impact of the 'green revolution', Western capitalist countries and TNGs have mustered enormous stocks of this invaluable genetic material so much so that many? of the Third World countries will have to depend on imported seeds and other genetic material for their own crop improvement programmes. Thus, the Third World countries from which almost all of the food crops in the world originate, have been forced into a paradoxical situation of having to import genetic material of Third World origin from the Western capitalist countries. In spite of the complexity and importance of the issues involved, both the International Genetic Congress and the International Biotechnology Conference held soon after the 22nd Conference Session of the FAO in November 1983, have failed to take notice of the issues raised at FAO, except in vague and general terms. According to the FAO decision, the genetic pool of world's food crops would be put under international supervision. This is yet another instance of international forums associated with the United Nations being used by the Third World countries to fight neo-colonial exploitation. Details of this international dispute have been brought out by Pat Roy Mooney in a report prepared for the International Coalition for Development Action (ICDA).1 The agreement forced at the FAO Conference Session has the support of overwhelming numbers of the member-nations of the 152 strong FAO and will give more say to the Third World countries in the conservation and use of plant genetic resources. The agreement which emerged out of a fierce dispute within the FAO, raging for the last one decade, nevertheless, falls short of the objectives set out in the resolution 6/81 passed at the 21st Conference Session of the FAO (1981) held in Rome. It called for the setting up of an international convention providing for legally binding guarantees for the free exchange of germ plasm and the establishment of a FAO-monitored international Gene Bank. Decisions on these questions had 1 Pat Roy Mooney, "The Law otthe Seed: Another Development and Plant Genetic Resources", t)evelopmert Dialogue, 1-2, 1983. This report prepared by Pat Roy gives detailed account of the issues involved in the genetic resources debate. Much of the fact and figures used in this note is based on this report. Pat Roy also presents a set of conclusions and r^ommendations. This note'however, does not attempt to discuss what needs to be done in terms of specific measures and is meant morf^ as an effort to draw attention to an important international dispute.