Brazil
Transcript
NEW VARIETIES OF BEANS (Phaseolus vulgaris): IMPACT ACHIEVED BY EMBRAPA THROUGH PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION OF NEW VARIETIES IN BRAZIL
Embrapa Rice and Beans (Arroz e Feijão), one of the 43 units of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, the research arm of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture,has been working for 49 years with the objective of promoting agricultural growth, supporting the producers and delivering the best and healthiest food to the Brazilian table.
Dedicating itself to the research of the two main staple foods consumed all over the country, throughout its history, the research center brought innovations and sustainability that have positively transformed the agricultural sector throughout the national territory and in several other countries.
Elcio Guimarães, General Head of Embrapa Rice and Beans
Embrapa Rice and Beans has a strong French Bean plant breeding program in Brazil and one of the reasons for this strength is the possibility we have to team up with the seed producers as partners to develop new varieties together.
However, for us to get to this level, we went through some important steps; one of them was the Law for the Protection of New Plant Varieties.
Today, seed producers and farmers have the assurance that the varieties they market and use have the desired quality and bring the economic, environmental and social benefits they expect.
To give just one example, although not with beans, showing the importance of partnerships for Embrapa’s protected varieties, I want to talk about the case of rice.
Over a period of 5 years, we went from less than 10% to more than 85% of the rice seed market share in the tropical region of Brazil.
This is what we expect to happen with the bean breeding program.
Plant variety protection, along with Embrapa's strong reputation, stimulates seed growers and farmers to adopt the new varieties and enjoy the benefits they bring.
In addition, protected varieties allow Embrapa to receive royalties on seed sales and consequently, reinvest in the bean breeding program.
In conclusion, plant variety protection strengthened and contributed to leverage plant breeding programs in Brazil.
Embrapa Rice and Beans currently has partnerships with 38 licensed seed growers, that in 2020 and 2021 delivered about 870 tons of bean seeds to the market.
Luciene Camarano, Analyst at Embrapa
Plant variety protection has sped up the delivery of a larger number of varieties to farmers. Before plant variety protection, on average only 4 new bean varieties were made available to farmers per year.
After plant variety protection was introduced, 15 new varieties were released per year from 1999 to 2009. There was also an average yield increase in Brazil. We went from an average yield of less than 500 kg per hectare, to more than 1,500 kg per hectare. That was very impressive.
And when we consider of intensive production systems, such as irrigated systems, yields of more than 4,000 kg per hectare are obtained, which was a revolution for Brazilian farmers.
For the end consumer, it enhanced the diversity of varieties available. Today, the consumer arrives at the supermarket and can choose the beans they want.
Looking at the question of price, it is expected that higher yields enable better overall performance, thereby reducing price of food. The common bean would be much more expensive for the consumer if these varieties were not so modern, adapted to local conditions and productive.
Henrique Menarim, Farmer and Seed Producer
Plant variety protection for breeders is fundamental to the seed production system as a whole. Because the breeder has the expertise, has all the technical team, all the researchers who are developing that variety, in this case, a productive bean variety, with specific characteristics for each region.
As you know, Brazil is a continental country. There are cold, hot and humid climates, and distinct soil types.
The breeder develops the varieties and delivers them to the seed growers. The seed growers develop the market, propagate the variety and deliver them to the farmers who are the fundamental link in the chain for grain production and delivery to society.
Leonardo Melo, Researcher, Plant Breeder at Embrapa
Embrapa has already launched, since the beginning of its plant breeding program, seventy-five new varieties. Fifty of these after the Plant Variety Protection Law was introduced. That’s almost two-thirds of the varieties!
This has enabled resourcing the plant breeding program from royalties received from companies that market Embrapa seeds.
Royalties allow us to invest more in research, developing new varieties that have superior qualities compared to the old ones.Superior for the farmer, with disease resistance and increased productivity. And also at the consumer level, with better nutritional values and better cooking quality.
Having resources from royalties to fund this work is fundamental for us to have a quality plant breeding program.
Bernardo Mendes Dos Santos, Analyst at the Innovation and Business Secretariat of Embrapa
In addition to the possibility of collecting royalties, plant variety protection entitles the breeder the exclusive right to exploit a variety over a period of time. In Brazil, this period is 15 years.
During this period the breeder has the prerogative to establish what will be the conditions for licensing that cultivar. Where it can be grown, propagated; to whom it can be commercialized, either to certain groups of producers or a particular region; what the royalty rates will be, how the royalties will be collected for this variety.
This is all the prerogative of the breeder, conferred by plant variety protection.
In addition, during the term of protection, in the case of bean varieties, the breeder is protected against unlawful competition and misappropriation of the variety they developed by other companies in the country where it was developed or even in other countries where protected.
Embrapa Rice and Beans enjoy today credibility with the range of stakeholders with whom it interacts.
This positive image has been built throughout its history, through numerous results of its research, and supported by the reliability provided by plant variety protection.
This was the path that promoted the growth of the crop and enabled Embrapa to meet the expectations of farmers and growers.
NEW VARIETIES OF BEANS (Phaseolus vulgaris): IMPACT ACHIEVED BY EMBRAPA THROUGH PLANT VARIETY PROTECTION OF NEW VARIETIES IN BRAZIL
Embrapa Rice and Beans (Arroz e Feijão), one of the 43 units of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, the research arm of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture,has been working for 49 years with the objective of promoting agricultural growth, supporting the producers and delivering the best and healthiest food to the Brazilian table.
Dedicating itself to the research of the two main staple foods consumed all over the country, throughout its history, the research center brought innovations and sustainability that have positively transformed the agricultural sector throughout the national territory and in several other countries.
Elcio Guimarães, General Head of Embrapa Rice and Beans
Embrapa Rice and Beans has a strong French Bean plant breeding program in Brazil and one of the reasons for this strength is the possibility we have to team up with the seed producers as partners to develop new varieties together.
However, for us to get to this level, we went through some important steps; one of them was the Law for the Protection of New Plant Varieties.
Today, seed producers and farmers have the assurance that the varieties they market and use have the desired quality and bring the economic, environmental and social benefits they expect.
To give just one example, although not with beans, showing the importance of partnerships for Embrapa’s protected varieties, I want to talk about the case of rice.
Over a period of 5 years, we went from less than 10% to more than 85% of the rice seed market share in the tropical region of Brazil.
This is what we expect to happen with the bean breeding program.
Plant variety protection, along with Embrapa's strong reputation, stimulates seed growers and farmers to adopt the new varieties and enjoy the benefits they bring.
In addition, protected varieties allow Embrapa to receive royalties on seed sales and consequently, reinvest in the bean breeding program.
In conclusion, plant variety protection strengthened and contributed to leverage plant breeding programs in Brazil.
Embrapa Rice and Beans currently has partnerships with 38 licensed seed growers, that in 2020 and 2021 delivered about 870 tons of bean seeds to the market.
Luciene Camarano, Analyst at Embrapa
Plant variety protection has sped up the delivery of a larger number of varieties to farmers. Before plant variety protection, on average only 4 new bean varieties were made available to farmers per year.
After plant variety protection was introduced, 15 new varieties were released per year from 1999 to 2009. There was also an average yield increase in Brazil. We went from an average yield of less than 500 kg per hectare, to more than 1,500 kg per hectare. That was very impressive.
And when we consider of intensive production systems, such as irrigated systems, yields of more than 4,000 kg per hectare are obtained, which was a revolution for Brazilian farmers.
For the end consumer, it enhanced the diversity of varieties available. Today, the consumer arrives at the supermarket and can choose the beans they want.
Looking at the question of price, it is expected that higher yields enable better overall performance, thereby reducing price of food. The common bean would be much more expensive for the consumer if these varieties were not so modern, adapted to local conditions and productive.
Henrique Menarim, Farmer and Seed Producer
Plant variety protection for breeders is fundamental to the seed production system as a whole. Because the breeder has the expertise, has all the technical team, all the researchers who are developing that variety, in this case, a productive bean variety, with specific characteristics for each region.
As you know, Brazil is a continental country. There are cold, hot and humid climates, and distinct soil types.
The breeder develops the varieties and delivers them to the seed growers. The seed growers develop the market, propagate the variety and deliver them to the farmers who are the fundamental link in the chain for grain production and delivery to society.
Leonardo Melo, Researcher, Plant Breeder at Embrapa
Embrapa has already launched, since the beginning of its plant breeding program, seventy-five new varieties. Fifty of these after the Plant Variety Protection Law was introduced. That’s almost two-thirds of the varieties!
This has enabled resourcing the plant breeding program from royalties received from companies that market Embrapa seeds.
Royalties allow us to invest more in research, developing new varieties that have superior qualities compared to the old ones.Superior for the farmer, with disease resistance and increased productivity. And also at the consumer level, with better nutritional values and better cooking quality.
Having resources from royalties to fund this work is fundamental for us to have a quality plant breeding program.
Bernardo Mendes Dos Santos, Analyst at the Innovation and Business Secretariat of Embrapa
In addition to the possibility of collecting royalties, plant variety protection entitles the breeder the exclusive right to exploit a variety over a period of time. In Brazil, this period is 15 years.
During this period the breeder has the prerogative to establish what will be the conditions for licensing that cultivar. Where it can be grown, propagated; to whom it can be commercialized, either to certain groups of producers or a particular region; what the royalty rates will be, how the royalties will be collected for this variety.
This is all the prerogative of the breeder, conferred by plant variety protection.
In addition, during the term of protection, in the case of bean varieties, the breeder is protected against unlawful competition and misappropriation of the variety they developed by other companies in the country where it was developed or even in other countries where protected.
Embrapa Rice and Beans enjoy today credibility with the range of stakeholders with whom it interacts.
This positive image has been built throughout its history, through numerous results of its research, and supported by the reliability provided by plant variety protection.
This was the path that promoted the growth of the crop and enabled Embrapa to meet the expectations of farmers and growers.
August 22, 2022