Ministry Of Agriculture Gives Relaxation Of Plant Varieties Protection Fees

The Center for Protection of Plants and Agricultural Licensing (PPVTPP) of the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan) provides relaxation by reducing the cost of substantive examination of applications for Plant Variety Protection Rights (PVT) and annual PVT Rights costs.

"We understand that the anxiety of the applicants for PVT's right to the PVT costs is still burdensome, so we made a breakthrough in relaxing PVT costs," said Head of the PVTPP Center of the Ministry of Agriculture Leli Nuryati in a written statement in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Saturday, February 17.

Leli conveyed the reduction in PVT costs at a rate of Rp. 0 for annual dues through PP Tariff Number 28 of 2023 and Permentan Number 36 of 2023 for Indonesian citizens, domestic universities, and government R&D.

In addition, his party also applied a fee of Rp0 for official travel costs from substantive inspection components for the growth test or official test examination method at the PVTPP Center Substantive Examination Garden (KPS).

"So far, the official travel fee is the largest component as much as 70 percent of the substantive inspection which is the main reason for plant cultivators not to apply for PVT rights.

According to Leli, the implementation of the policy will significantly reduce the cost of substantive examination for all groups of PVT rights applicants starting from February 2024.

"We can make a breakthrough in reducing these costs by placing all PVT Examinations at 3 PVT KPS belonging to PVTPP," he said.

He explained that PVT rights applicants will only be charged with application fees and maintenance of Rp1,750,000 for plants a season with an age of under six months or Rp2,250,000 for plants a season with an age of more than six months.

Leli also said that previously the cost of PVT in Indonesia was equivalent to other countries, but with this breakthrough the cost of PVT would be much cheaper than other countries. For example, Japan amounted to Rp. 6 million, Vietnam was Rp. 5 million - Rp. 14 million, the Netherlands was Rp. 25 million.

"This decrease in costs is expected to have an impact on increasing applications for PVT Rights which will later be able to encourage economic growth through innovations in the assembly of new superior varieties," he said.

Leli said that this step was in line with the direction of the Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman as the government's effort to provide cheap and easy public services for all stakeholders.

Leli explained that PVT rights are special protections provided by the state to plant varieties produced by plant cultivators. To obtain PVT rights it must meet new, unique, uniform and stable requirements through administrative and substantive examinations.

Since the PVT operation, said Leli, the number of PVT rights issued by the Ministry of Agriculture is 709, which is 55.9 percent owned by the private sector / domestic seed industry, research institutions / government 25.7 percent, foreign private sector 8.7 percent, individuals 5.8 percent, and universities 3.9 percent.

"This shows that PVT's rights are dominated by the private sector, while research institutions, individuals and universities are still relatively low," said Leli.

According to Leli, the low application from the R&D group, individuals and universities was due to the high cost of substantive examinations and annual costs, so that his party provided relaxation of costs in accordance with the direction of the Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Agriculture Andi Amran Sulaiman.

In the future, said Leli, PVT has a positive impact in increasing research and development of plant varieties as well as as a promotional event for plant breeding research results.

"In addition, PVT provides incentives for research and development (R&D), as well as in marketing these varieties to the public and farmers. Through PVT, the multipliers can get the return of investment costs that have been spent in the R&D process," he said.

Leli emphasized that the PVTPP Center will always be committed to providing the best service to stakeholders, especially in the protection of plant varieties.

"Protection of Plant Variety has been an important part of the Indonesian agricultural sector for more than two decades since it was promulgated through Law Number 29 of 2000," said Leli.