OAPI – GEVES cooperation: they made it!

27 Jun 22 Image

OAPI – GEVES cooperation: they made it!

The PPOV (Strengthening and Promotion of Plant Variety Protection System) cooperation programme, financed by the European Commission and involving the African Intellectual Property Organisation, CPVO, GEVES, Naktuinbouw, SEMAE and UPOV, is coming to an end after 4 years of rich exchanges. This visit from representatives from OAPI member countries was postponed several times due to the Covid situation, but was finally organised by GEVES and Naktuinbouw this June 2022.

Two groups were received alternately by the French and Dutch Examination Offices, to present the organisation of the countries’ seed sectors, and their ways of carrying out DUS tests. The second group was more specifically integrated into the technical teams, in order to discover different test procedures and scoring techniques. These visits will enable them to use the examples presented to organise a network of Examination Offices authorised by OAPI in French-speaking West Africa.

At GEVES, our experts presented the organisation of DUS tests for field crop, vegetable, ornamental and fruit species. Emphasis was placed on the management of reference collections, as well as on the management of potential conflicts of interest when DUS tests are carried out by organisations involved in plant breeding (e.g. INRAE for fruit species DUS examinations).

The visit includeda meeting with breeders (Novadi, Limagrain, Novagenetic), as well as with SICASOV, in in order to show practically the importance of using PVP in the management of a variety portfolio as well as for its financial valuation. The breeders were also able to explain how they manage their relations with the CPVO and the CTPS.

The involvement of GEVES in such cooperation programmes is a well-identified priority in the GEVES Ambition 2030 plan: it allows the GEVES staff to discover other ways of examining varieties and to share information on agronomic trial management, and contributes to the promotion and expansion of the UPOV variety protection system.

 

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