TOKYO - A local government in western Japan on Monday asked the central government to probe how saplings of a prized citrus variety may have been smuggled into China and marketed there despite producers' efforts to prevent it.
Ehime Gov. Tokihiro Nakamura submitted a letter of request to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, calling for long-term government support throughout the process of registering the quality citrus in China and protecting the fruit.
Beni Princess, often touted as a "citrus thoroughbred," was registered as a new citrus kind in Japan in 2022 after its development began in Ehime Prefecture in 2005.
The Japanese prefecture has applied to register Beni Princess as a new breed in China to stop its unauthorized cultivation, but the process has yet to be completed.
The prefecture has allowed access to seeds and saplings of Beni Princess to only a limited number of firms while refusing inspections from overseas, according to Nakamura.
Still, the Japanese government has confirmed that Beni Princess saplings have appeared for sale online in China.
"We are at a critical juncture in terms of whether we can address this issue so something like this will never happen," farm minister Norikazu Suzuki said.
Beni Princess inherits its texture from Beni Madonna and its sweet juice from Kanpei, both of which are original varieties from the prefecture known for its citrus production.
The central government is considering launching a specialized body to deal with rights protection and promotion in the country and abroad on behalf of developers of new plant varieties.
Japan has faced similar incidents in the past, including Japanese-developed Shine Muscat grapes, which have been grown and sold without permission in countries such as China and South Korea.
Japan could have received about 20 billion yen in license fees ($124 million) a year if Shine Muscat growers in China and South Korea had purchased their seeds and seedlings through official routes, according to the farm minister.
