Damyang-gun Secures Plant Variety Protection Rights for 'Jukhyang·Damhyang' Strawberries for 20 Years

Notification of European Variety Registration Decision from the European Union Plant Variety Office

[Damyang=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yukbong] Jeonnam Damyang-gun (Governor Choi Hyung-sik) announced on the 14th that its self-developed strawberry varieties ‘Jukhyang’ and ‘Damhyang’ have received the European regional variety registration certificate from the Community Plant Variety Office (CPVO) of the European Union, granting them plant variety protection rights throughout Europe for 20 years until 2040.

‘Plant variety protection rights’ refer to the rights to apply for propagation, production, export, import, transfer, or lease of protected variety seeds for commercial use in the global market.

Through this, not only has an exclusive market position for the varieties been secured, but it also helps prevent disputes in advance and serves as a source for developing applied varieties based on already developed varieties, providing momentum for continuous research.

‘Jukhyang’ and ‘Damhyang’ are strawberry varieties bred by the county. After domestic variety applications in 2017, they underwent cultivation trials at European local inspection agencies, meeting the registration requirements through evaluations according to inspection standards, and certified strawberry seedlings are managed by Naktuinbouw in the Netherlands.

‘Jukhyang’ and ‘Damhyang’ are the only domestically bred strawberry varieties with confirmed European variety protection applications, while the ‘Merry Queen’ variety is also undergoing document review and cultivation trials for European variety registration.

The Agricultural Technology Center has secured basic tissue culture seedlings and original mother plants of the European-certified varieties ‘Jukhyang’ and ‘Damhyang’, and established a 2,160㎡ superior seedling propagation field at the center’s nursery to propagate and supply excellent strawberry seedlings to farms.

Additionally, a quality-certified seedling system for superior seedlings has been established in Europe to lay the foundation for seedling exports, and the varieties have been evaluated by European specialized research institutions as having excellent taste and aroma, contributing to the enhancement of Damyang’s strawberry brand awareness.

Governor Choi Hyung-sik stated, “We will combine our capabilities to develop Damyang strawberries into varieties with competitiveness that can dominate the global seed market by creating industrial added value through linking all industries including seedling production, cultivation, distribution, processing, and experience.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.