The Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute has received temporary intellectual property protection for a new pineapple variety it developed in 2019, after registering the cultivar with the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries last year, the institute said on Tuesday.
The new variety, named Tainung No. 23, was developed by the institute’s Chiayi Agricultural Experiment Station, which has introduced 18 different pineapple varieties in Taiwan since 1934, beginning with Tainung No. 1.
The institute on Oct. 18 last year registered the pineapple with the Japanese ministry for intellectual property protection in the Japanese market, it said.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute
The ministry on May 6 granted Tainung No. 23 temporary protection, the institute said, adding that further evaluation is to be conducted in Japan before deciding on full protection.
Intellectual property registration of new agricultural products prevents other vendors from marketing the new varieties as their own.
Tainung No. 23 has a mango fragrance, delicate taste and no apparent fibers, the institute said, adding that the variety has a long shelf life, making it suitable for export.
Japan has become the leading destination for exports of Taiwanese pineapples, after China banned imports of the Taiwanese fruit in February last year.
Of the 28,664 tonnes exported from Taiwan last year, 17,850 tonnes — 62.3 percent — went to Japan, Council of Agriculture statistics show.
China imported 50,168 tonnes of pineapples from Taiwan in 2019, and 41,661 tonnes in 2020.
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