09 Jul 2023

Legislators have endorsed government efforts to protect plant breeding and breeders rights.

MPs expressed their support when debating the Protection of New Plant Varieties Bill of 2022 tabled by Minister of Agriculture, Mr Fidelis Molao.

Debating the bill, Assistant Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Beauty Manake said the development would lure investors into the country as they would be guaranteed that their rights were protected.

She said protecting breeder’s rights was key to research and development, adding that the country was semi-arid with unreliable rainfalls hence it needed research to produce plants suitable for its climate.

She said the bill presented breeders with an opportunity to come up with plants which could withstand local climatic conditions.

The specially elected MP further said the country was still behind on issues of research and technology and described the bill as the way to go to bridge the gap.

However, she said there was a need for the country to speed up a bio-security law to ensure the safe use and security of biological materials to avoid harmful effects to the environment.

MP for Okavango, Mr Kenny Kapinga said the bill was an opportunity for the country to meet its international obligations.

He said government through institutions such as Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources had been key in plant breeding and there was less or no participation of the private sector.

Therefore, Mr Kapinga said government should lure locals to venture into plant breeding, and said he was not aware of any local company dealing with plant breeding.

While MP for Palapye, Mr Onneetse Ramogapi welcomed the bill, saying it would address issues of intellectual property which had been the industry downfall.

He said some of the plants and seeds which entered the country were hybrids hence they did not reproduce which came with a cost to farmers.

He also said the country ought to be careful about genetically modified foods which he said were a health hazard.

Tlokweng Member of Parliament, Mr Thulagano Segokgo said the bill would bring protection of plant varieties and protection of breeder’s rights.

He said the bill was a step in the right direction towards attaining a knowledge-based economy as envisaged by government.

Furthermore, he said there was a need to ensure indigenous people benefited, adding that such was not the case with the devil’s claw or Sengaparile research.

Mahalapye West legislator, Mr David Tshere said it was important to protect intellectual property, adding that the bill would address such deficiency.

He said under prevailing circumstances, plant and seed breeders had not been investing in the country as they were not secured and protected.

He added that relying on plants and seeds breeds from outside the country had, among other things, introduced exotic weeds and pests which were affecting farmers production.

The bill was subsequently passed by Parliament. ENDS