China gets slap on the wrist for illegal copying Dutch varieties

Dutch provincial executive Adri Bom-Lemstra brought up the problem of illegal copying of patented, Dutch plant varieties with a Chinese trade delegation from the province of Yunnan. 40 delegates paid a three-day visit to the province of South Holland to get information about the horticulture industry and to get in touch with entrepreneurs. Yunnan is a southern, mountainous province in China with 44 million inhabitants.

Members of the Greenport industry in South Holland were eager to get to know the Chinese executives, civil servants and entrepreneurs during a seminar. Several companies from the Dutch region are already doing business in the Chinese province, especially in the ornamental industry. Anthura Horticulture is one such company that has seen success in China.

Illegal copying
Still, profit margins are under pressure, Sander Smeding of Anthura told his Chinese audience. That's because Dutch growers of flowers, fruit and vegetable increasingly face illegal copying of their varieties. Some varieties, that only enter the market after years of research, are protected with a type of patent law. While in 2010 fifty percent of the market consisted of illegal copies in China, Smeding says, this percentage has now grown to 70%. More and more Dutch horticulture entrepreneurs are facing this problem in China. For some of them, it's a reason not to do business with China or quit the country. Provincial executive Adri Bom-Lemstra brought this to the attention of deputy governor Zhang Zulin of Yunnan, asking him to take firmer action against this.

Cooperation
In her speech, Bom-Lemstrapointed to the importance of the Chinese market for the South Holland Greenport, saying Dutch companies are eager to sell their know-how to China. "When developing innovation and solutions for the local Chinese market, we're very willing to work together. A meeting like today's is a first step towards further development in the coming years."