"Plant variety protection is a global issue. In China, the awareness of variety protection has increased compared to a few years ago, but there are many things to improve," says Jiang Shengde, Chairman of Hongyue Horticultural Corp. Hongyue is a horticulture company in China which was established in 2000. The company focuses on importing flower young plants, pots, and other related horticulture equipment and tools. It cooperates with international suppliers including those from the Netherlands, Germany, the United States, and Japan to introduce new plant varieties to China among which the 'Endless Summer' variety.
In this article, Shengde makes a case for more variety protection and variety alliance in China.
Variety protection in China
Shengde highlights that plant variety protection has not always received the same amount of attention as it has today, saying: "Since 2011, there has been a significant change in plant variety protection. Before that, the awareness was not strong. One reason for this lack of awareness was that many varieties were sold as F1 seeds, that are not so easy to copy. Moreover, breeders did not register their varieties. After varieties such as hydrangea and Impatiens balsamina entered the market, the voice of variety protection became strong."
"Hongyue recently opened a new company 'Cai Na Hangzhou Branding Operation' together with our partners. This business is focused on plant variety protection. We are looking forward to cooperating with more breeders," he adds.
Alliances
According to Shengde, introducing a variety into a new market involves a whole processes of variety protection and variety promotion. "There are different ways to protect varieties. Think of Proven Winners in the United States, and other models in Japan and the Netherlands. We learn from them."
He believes that making alliances for every single variety would have a positive effect on variety protection and variety promotion in China. Shende: "Each variety should have its own alliance so that only authorized members can grow this variety. The alliance members will have strict entry requirements, and members must protect and promote this variety together. We have made several alliances for some varieties including the varieties are from Sakata, Danziger, and Dümen Orange."
World Garden Show
As Hongyue seeks to address the challenges and opportunities of the floral industry, they organize the World Garden Show. The show is held in the provinces of Haining and Zhejiang.
"Each year, we invite industry experts, enterprises, associations, and plant lovers to join the congress. We discuss the future and challenges of the industry and provide a platform where the industry can connect and promote the floral business."
For more information:
Lin Yu
Hongyue Horticultural Corp.
Golden Garden, Chang'an,
Haining 314408, Zhejiang, China
www.hongyue.com
[email protected]