Beijing, China
May 23, 2011
On 11 May 2011, it was learned from the closing seminar on the project of “Strengthening the Plant Variety Protection System” that such protection in the country had made rapid development over the past ten years since China joined the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). Up to 30 April 2011, the Office of Protection of New Varieties of Plants of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) has accepted 8 070 applications for the rights of new plant varieties, closed 4 404 application cases, and granted variety rights to 3 582 applicators. In 2010, there were a total of 1 206 applications for the rights. Currently, the amount of annual applications for the rights of agricultural plant varieties ranks second globally, and the amount of effective variety rights have risen to one of the top ten in the world.
In his speech, MOA Deputy General Director of the Department of Science, Technology and Education Shi Yanquan said that one seed could change a world, and one variety could benefit a nation. He stressed that as China was the largest agricultural country and the largest consumer of seeds in the world, seeds were not only the most basic means of agricultural production but also the basic tool to ensure the national food security and effective supply of major farm produce. That was why strengthening protection of new plant varieties and encouraging innovation of breeding was of critical importance to the country. Since 1997, China had witnessed the establishment, development and improvement of a system for protection of new plant varieties, which conformed to the national reality, the development requirements of the country and international rules. Spreading a culture of new plant variety protection in the country of a population of 1.3 billion had not only produced an important effect to promote its development of agriculture and seed industry, but also made a positive contribution to popularization of such a protection system and its culture in the world.
Shi expressed his desire that the two sides would continue their efforts to consolidate the basis for technical cooperation in such protection and have wide-ranging collaberation in various forms, contributing to more productive cooperation between the two countries.
The Sino-Dutch Asian Foundation project of Strengthening the Plant Variety Protection System was jointly implemented by MOA Scientific Development Centre, the Scientific and Technical Development Centre under the State Forestry Administration, the Netherlands General Inspection Service for Horticulture and the Netherlands Breeders Association. Thanks to joint efforts, all the set objectives had been realized. Through implementation of the project, a number of Chinese technicians had been developed, forming a core team for examination and testing of new plant varieties in the country. Some plant species like Anthurium Schott, Guzmania Ruiz & Pav and Phalaenopsis that are in the interest of joint agricultural development in the two countries have been incorporated into a preservation catalogue, which has promoted a more wide-ranging and deepened cooperation between the two countries in the field of agriculture. Some weak or shortcomings in the procedures of examination and approval in this regard have been detected, facilitating improvement of the protection system.
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