The year 2003 saw a dramatic increase of the applications for the rights of forestry new varieties of plants with the number doubling that of 2002.  Applications with foreign origins were on a faster pace, the number of 2003 accounting for 76.1% of all foreign applications filed in the past five years.  

In 2003, 48 forestry new varieties of plants applications were filed, 31 more than the 17 applications in 2002, a 182% increase.  Thirty-five applications of them were with foreign origins, accounting for 94.5%.  In the past four years, there were a total of 11 foreign applications. 

Among all 48 applications, 37 (77.1%) were handled by agents.  Since the first five agencies had been approved in 2000, 16 more agencies located in 13 provinces such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong had gone into operation.   

After the expansion of protection scope after the implementation of the Third Edition of Protected Species on 1 January 2003, the number of protected species reached 45.  The fourth edition, which will be implemented in 2004, is being reviewed by experts after nationwide opinion-collecting. 

Mr. Huang Faji, Deputy Director of Forestry New Varieties of Plants Protection Office, State Forestry Administration said that because of focusing on developing agencies, the number and quality of applications was on the rise constantly.  With the construction of a more multi-dimensional and healthy protection network of new varieties of plants and participation of international affairs, the nation's protection of new varieties of plants was on the right track one firm step after another. 

2004-02-05

2004-02-05