112 | Agricultural Innovation in Developing East Asia
TABLE 6.4 Enabling
environment for agricultural innovation in select countries
COUNTRY
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
China
WIPO (2007) WTO-TRIPS (2001) Patents (1994) Copyright (1992) Trademarks Plant Variety Protection (1999) UPOV Convention member (1999) IPR are not properly protected, serving as a barrier to FDI and domestic private R&D
REGULATORY FRAMEWORKS
INFRASTRUCTURE: ROADS, IRRIGATION, ENERGY, MARKET, ICT CONNECTIVITY
FINANCE
LAND
The Food and Drug Administration was established in 2013.
Good road and rail infrastructure—higher than OECD average.
Affordability and availability of financial services are limited.
The Food Safety Law was revised in 2015 to establish a more scientific and strict supervision system for food safety.
ICT connectivity: electricity in 100% of the villages. ICT connectivity significantly improved but still limits widespread use of e-services and precision agriculture.
Tax incentives for private sector R&D in place.
Land reform instituted enabling consolidation, sale, and rent as well as use as collateral.
Biosafety regulation on transgenic organisms updated in 2016; plan to establish biosafety evaluation system, but enforcement shows weaknesses. Regulatory framework for environmental protection in place but poorly enforced. Regulation on pesticide use strengthened.
Indonesia
WIPO (1979) WTO-TRIPS (1995) Patent (2001) Copyright (2014) Trademarks (2001)
Relatively weak food safety regulations and enforcement. Biosafety regulations in place, enforcement shows weaknesses.
Plant Variety Protection (2000)
Barriers to FDI: foreign companies are not allowed to conduct transgenic crop breeding. Nontransgenic plant breeding and seed production are ’’restricted” and require foreign investors to establish a joint venture with Chinese firms.
Infrastructure requires Farmer access to strengthening albeit finance is limited. irrigation infrastructure has improved. ICT connectivity limiting widespread use of e-services and precision agriculture.
Land availability and land market rights require strengthening.
Weak enforcement of patents and licenses a disincentive to private sector Malaysia
WIPO (1989) WTO-TRIPS (1995) Patent (2006) Copyright (2006) Trademarks (2002) Plant Variety Protection (2004)
Philippines WIPO (1980) WTO-TRIPS (1995) Patent (1998)
Food safety and quality standards in place.
Access to finance is relatively good. Tax incentives for private sector investment are available.
Land market rights and access require strengthening.
Infrastructure, including in agriculture, requires strengthening.
Farmers’ access to finance is limited.
A complex issue—current land reform redistributes private land; land leasehold system in place.
Enforcement of environmental regulations good. Biosafety regulations in place. Relatively weak food safety regulations and enforcement.
Trademarks (1998)
Environmental regulations and their enforcement are relatively weak.
Plant Variety Protection (2002)
Biosafety regulations in place.
Copyright (2013)
Good infrastructure and ICT connectivity.
ICT connectivity limits widespread use of e-services and precision agriculture.
Tax incentives for private sector R&D in place.
(continued)
