Two of Taiwan’s lychee trees have recently secured Australian Plant Breeder Rights (PBR), the Agriculture Ministry announced this Wednesday. The two varieties, “Colorful Lychee” (台農6號-艷荔) and “Early Big” (台農7號-早大荔), join the list of two other lychee trees with PBR verification in Australia.

The Agriculture Ministry says its Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute (TARI) is dedicated to improving lychee varieties and expanding their international reach. TARI highlights that obtaining overseas variety rights is a significant milestone in Taiwan’s international fruit tree development. The institute will continue working with the Australian government, industries, and academia to establish a comprehensive variety licensing system and seek potential licensees, ensuring that Taiwan’s plant varieties continue to create value both domestically and internationally.

TARI explained that obtaining PBR is essential to legally enter the market as well as to ensure the long-term success of the variety, such as in research and development. They used the Australian “Pink Lady” apples as an example of how proper brand marketing can allow breeders and farmers to profit from the plants.

Taiwan is home to many lychee varieties. Faced with the impact of climate change on the industry, TARI says it believes that by extending the production season by leveraging production in the Northern and Southern hemispheres, plant varieties can be leveraged as a strategic tool for industrial development.