The abilities of selling ST25 variety to MARD

Under the Europe - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), the EU grants Vietnam zero-duty tariff quotas of fixed, limited volume with no annual increase for fragrant rice. Nine Vietnamese fragrant rice varieties are currently enjoying the tariff export quotas to Europe with a quota of 30,000 tones.

However, those nine varieties do not include the ST25 as it was officially recognized at the end of 2019 while the negotiation on the list of subjects eligible for tariff export quota was conducted many years ago. According to the agreement, Vietnam and the International Trademark Association (INTA) negotiate to add or withdraw other fragrant rice varieties to the list as well as to increase or decrease the output of fragrant rice enjoying the tariff quotas.

However, it is required to have a competent party, which is assigned by the government and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), in this case is the Department of Crop Production, which has the authorization to certify that the batch of rice belonging to these nine varieties is produced in Vietnam and the varieties are genuine or authentic as what was approved by the EU.

“I sincerely proposed he sell the copyrights or franchise the variety to the MARD and then let all enterprises in the field of plant breeding trade the variety. As a result, we can create a huge ST25 production area for export.

I thought it was possible and no one can restrict the deed that benefits the country. At the MARD’s conference on implementing protection at the Mekong River Delta in early 2020 with the attendance of the Deputy Minister of MARD, I also proposed the ministry to buy the rice variety as the limited capacity of Cua’s company makes it impossible to afford the demands when the rice develops widely and rapidly. I affirm that the copyright purchase is possible and follows Vietnam’s regulation despite some difficulties in procedures. Even enterprises are so familiar with the purchase of the copyright.

I think it just takes a small account of the state budget to buy a science subject. And then all enterprises in the field of the plant variety in the country can freely do business with the variety. They can select, maintain and protect the variety with, of course, a supervisor board like the Department of Plant Protection and at last, we can confine the situation of the fake variety,” Mr. Tran Manh Bao, CEO of Thai Binh Seed Joint Stock Company and President of the Vietnam Seed Trade Association, remembered his conversation with Ho Quang Cua - author of ST25 rice variety.

It is believed widely among the enterprises community that, Mr. Cua and his partners will lose nothing if he handovers the ST25 rice to the government, or MARD. Instead, he can earn some things that others can’t. When the government pays for the copyrights, his research and creative values are offset and he can dedicate to the country a variety that becomes one of the most prominent rice brands in Vietnam as well as promote the agricultural export capacity of the country. “All parties can gain fruitful results,” said Mr. Bao.

The franchise to the government is unprecedented and there has no regulation regarding the transfer. So, it is a difficult problem to solve.

Up to now, there has been no official documents of the private enterprise of Ho Quang Tri (Cua’s son) and the author Ho Quang Cua himself mentioning the franchise to MARD. It is just in some unofficial discussions.

With the annual rice export reaching over 6 million tons, Vietnam has been listed as the third-largest rice exporter in the world. Vietnam's rice industry has also researched and hybridized to create excellent quality rice varieties, including ST25 rice, which was voted the world’s best rice in 2019. However, the mechanism and policy to choose which direction to take advantage of the strengths of the ST25 rice variety in particular and the Vietnamese rice industry, in general, is a big problem that posed to the whole sector.