Minister defends Japan Tobacco deal

Mpho Mokwape | Wednesday March 26, 2014 15:48

 

He said the country is protected as it co-owns the patent of the novel gene that the subject of the research partnership with Japan Tobacco.

De Graaff said there has been confusion leading to claims that Japan Tobacco intends to use the gene technology to sell its tobacco in the country.

“I can assure Batswana that the government, Nara Institute of Science and Technology of Japan and Tobacco Japan are co-inventors of the technology hence the inclusion in the registration of the patent on the invention.

This means we are the co-owners of the patent,” stressed De Graaff.

He explained that the novel gene found and isolated from a wild relative species of water melon in the Kalahari Desert, will be used to enhance the root systems of plants and to improve the survival rate of crops in dry conditions.

“The licensed technology is not going to be used to enhance the growing of tobacco as already indicated even though the driving company is called Japan Tobacco,” said De Graaff. 

He stressed that the agreement was entered into with the nation’s interest at heart and the licensing agreement is for Japan Tobacco to commercialise the technology only on monocots plants like maize, millet and rice and to exclude dicotyledonous plants such as tobacco.

He said Japan Tobacco, the Botswana government and Nara Institute of Science and Technology entered into an agreement to commercialise the technology, which has already brought foreign investment to the country.

“This is a tripartite and exclusive global licensing agreement between the government, Nara Institute of Science and Technology a National University in Japan Tobacco Inc, with the world’s leading plant biotechnology laboratory in Japan, to use the technology for drought tolerance and increased productivity in monocotyledonous crops,” he explained.