Licensing pleases

Press, 1 May 1981, Page 17

Licensing pleases

The director of the Crop Research Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Dr H. C. Smith, is delighted with the very good progress that has been made under the new licensing system for Crop Research Division cultivars. He said that under the agreement with the Agricultural Merchants’ Federation 19 cultivars had been released and head licensees had been confirmed for each cultivar. In addition, five new cultivars were likely to be licensed in the next year. Dr Smith said that the division had supported the farmers’ call for more realistic premiums for high quality seed and this had resulted in a premium agreement. Farmers who produced premium seed of CRD cultivars would now receive a 15 per cent premium on all first generation seed and 5 per cent on all second generation seed harvested. An additional 5 per cent would be paid on second generation seed when it was eventually used for seed.

These premium seed standards were an important step forward for the New Zealand grain industry, he said. For the first time "there

would be a just reward for growers who produced high quality seed.

A direct benefit of the licensing agreement had been a widening of the export potential for New' Zealand crop cultivars, said Dr Smith. During the next Northern Hemisphere summer six wheat, two oat. two barley and three garden pea cultivars would be evaluated in the United Kingdom, Europe, the Mediterranean area, Scandinavia. Canada and the United States. The

export of three pea varieties and Wairangi rape to the United Kingdom was imminent and Rere lucerne had a promising potential in Australia and the United States, he said. Dr Smith said he was confident that the export of crops and sub-licences for CRD cultivars would greatly benefit both the country and the farming community. Another very positive aspect of the new agreement, said Dr Smith, was the speed with which new crops would be released. An agreement had now been reached, under which a multiplying agent could be appointed for a new cultivar prior to its official release to ensure more adequate availability of seed when release was authorised. This would mean that farmers and growers would receive a better service from the breeder. Dr Smith concluded by saying that during the first two seasons of the agreement there had been some problems and criticisms of the scheme. However, he said these had been frankly discussed by the parties at the Cultivar Advisory Committee meetings and had been resolved.