The Cabinet has approved a bill that stipulates a prison term of up to three years for people found guilty of illegally exporting certain indigenous plants, fruit seedlings, seeds or their derivatives, Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said on Wednesday.
Chen made the announcement when asked about reports that Taiwan’s Tainung No. 23 mango pineapple variety had been stolen and is being cultivated in China.
Chen said the amendment to the Plant Variety and Plant Seed Act (植物品種及種苗法), approved by the Cabinet on March 16, aims to keep Taiwan’s quality crops in the country.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan’s crop varieties continue to be obtained by China for planting, production and sales, damaging Taiwan’s exports, he said.
The proposed amendment, which needs to be approved by the Legislative Yuan to become law, stipulates that people who trade in identified seedlings, their derivatives or related products could face up to three years in prison or a fine of NT$600,000 to NT$3 million (US$19,654 to US$98,270), or both.
Protecting agricultural varieties developed in Taiwan gained renewed attention after it was discovered that the mango pineapples, which took years to cultivate, were being grown in China.
Chen said it would be difficult to find out how the variety reached China, as it can be planted with buds obtained from the crowns.
The cultivar obtained variety rights in 2018.
Only four seedling companies and three farming households have been authorized to grow it since 2020, with about 20 hectares under cultivation, Chen said.
No authorization had been given for overseas cultivation, he added.
As Taiwan has registered its variety rights for the cultivar, China would not be able to export it to Japan and can only sell it domestically, Chen said.
China in 2021 banned imports of pineapples from Taiwan, including the Tainung No. 17 “golden diamond” pineapples that it had illegally begun cultivating at home, Chen added.
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