The Argentine Seed Association (ASA) welcomed and strongly supported the decision of the President of the Nation, Javier Milei, to make the modernization of the plant intellectual property regime a strategic priority of the State. The impetus for Argentina’s accession to the 1991 Act of UPOV was described as a decisive step to reverse a process that, for decades, had been eroding the competitiveness and productivity of Argentine agriculture due to outdated regulations and the lack of clear rules aligned with technological development.
As the President exemplified in his speech: “In crops such as cotton, where genetic development is decisive to improve yields and quality, we cannot continue without clear rules that protect innovation. If we do not adhere to UPOV 91, we continue to punish those who invest and bet on arrears.”
ASA stated that it fully shared the conviction that there is no sustained growth without legal certainty. The Association noted that the 1991 Act — adopted by 63 countries — represents the international standard for the protection of plant varieties, while Argentina continues under a 1978 scheme that keeps it outside that framework. In ASA’s view, updating the regulations is a necessary condition to compete on equal terms and strengthen the country’s export capacity, according to a press release.
According to ASA, incorporating the concept of essentially derived varieties and ensuring effective protection of breeders’ rights would provide predictability and transparency across the value chain. At the same time, it emphasized that the State would preserve tools to regulate farmers’ own use in a balanced manner, guaranteeing a clear and sustainable scheme. ASA argued that the reform would strengthen economic freedom and create conditions for companies, SMEs, and research centers to develop new varieties and greater added value in the country, preventing talent and investments from moving to jurisdictions with more appropriate regulatory frameworks.
ASA warned that sustaining the current scheme would mean maintaining a model that has already shown its limitations and contributed to Argentina losing competitiveness in one of its most strategic sectors. By contrast, it said advancing the update would acknowledge technological development as a central pillar to increase yields, improve productivity, and consolidate the leadership of Argentine agriculture.
In his speech to Congress, President Milei cited Vaca Muerta and mining as palpable examples that, with clear regulatory frameworks and legal stability, investment arrives.
ASA reaffirmed its willingness to work together with the National Government and Congress on the prompt implementation of these reforms. It said the moment called for structural decisions to ensure Argentina’s definitive insertion into global trade with predictable rules. The Association added that the seed sector would accompany the process by redoubling efforts and investments to translate the new legal framework into more production, more employment, and greater competitiveness for the entire agro-industrial chain.
