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CIOPORA Asks for ICA’s Support before UPOV Amid Solid PVR Status Quo

CIOPORA’s September Mission to Bogotá, Colombia


September 24, Bogotá – After several days of meeting in Quito, CIOPORA mission to South America continued in the capital of Colombia, where the association’s legal counsel Micaela Filippo met with ICA officials as well as the President of Asocoflores Mr Augusto Solano and Ms Corina Zambrano, the Executive Director of CENIFLORES, the Colombian Floriculture Innovation Center.


Solid status quo. CIOPORA has been content with the situation in Colombia. The country has adopted a regulatory approach to Plant Variety Protection: despite maintaining the UPOV 1978, Colombia has provided all necessary legislative and regulatory tools, including criminalization of IP infringements, to guarantee for the higher standards in IP rights protection, including PBR. The major trading partners of Colombian floriculture include such countries as USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and Japan with chrysanthemums and carnations being the main exported crops.


Support by ICA. The goal of the meeting with the ICA officials was to present them with the CIOPORA Positions Papers on EDV and Minimum Distance. CIOPORA asked ICA for support on these topics before UPOV. Acknowledging the similarities between the CIOPORA and ICA positions on the subjects, the officials promised to express their support in writing as, most likely, the ICA delegation will not be able to attend the UPOV October meetings.


Trade update. Asocolflores reported a slight shift towards maritime transports for its floricultural exports allowing for up to 40 per cent shipment savings. As to Plant Variety Protection, reportedly, there have been fewer infringement cases, with most cases involving small-scale growers who work exclusively for the internal market. Asocolflores informed CIOPORA about the work of its Committee on Vegetative Varieties, within which its PBR-related work is conducted in cooperation with the organization’s members and stakeholders. At the time of the meeting, the Colombian Government was not pursuing any new Free Trade Agreements.


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