An Overview of Plant Varieties protection in Tunisia

By: Maryem Blidi
Office Manager/ AGIP Tunisia

The Protection of new plant variety is recently being grown in Tunisia, and more applications for registration of new plant varieties have been filed. Some specialists explain this by referring to the Tunisian great environmental diversity which allows the development of distinctive vegetation and various genetic resources, while others refer this to the emergence of new plant variety commercialization in Tunisia where the interveners look to optimally protect their reproductive new varieties from illegal propagation, growing and marketing. 

In fact, Tunisia is a member of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and the protection of new plant variety in Tunisia may be obtained by filing an application for registration under the Plant Breeders’ Rights Law N° 99-42 of 10/05/1999 related to the protection of seeds, seedlings and plant varieties, (See below the related legal texts).

In this regard, Abu-Ghazaleh Intellectual Property’s (AGIP) office in Tunisia has almost doubled its results in respect of the plant variety protection registrations in Tunisia, and acquired new portfolios for reputable big firms in the field of plant breeders, growers, fruit marketers and retailers around the world thanks to our long-established knowledge and good practice in this field. Since 2005, AGIP Tunisia office has developed an extensive network of contributors and facilitators to carry out the preparation of the administrative formalities, the importation of the plant materials and the selection of the local test center for examination in collaboration with the Tunisian Ministry of Agriculture.

Also, we follow up on the progression of the plant variety registration and provide consultations for filing applications in the National Catalogues of New Plant Varieties in Tunisia, which is obligatory for agriculture and fruit species, to allow import, propagation and sales of the end product within the Tunisian Market. This expertise enables our office to perform the plant variety registration process perfectly and make it available to the international breeder community.


•Loi n°99-42 du 10 Mai 1999 relative aux semences, plants et obtentions végétales et l'ensemble des textes qui l'ont modifiée ou complétée
•Décret n°2000-102 du 18 Janvier 2000 fixant la composition et les modalités de fonctionnement de la commission technique des semences, plants et obtentions végétales
•Décret n°2000-1282 du 13 Juin 2000 fixant la formule du catalogue officiel, les procédures d'inscription des variétés végétales et les conditions d'inscription des semences et plants obtenues récemment sur la liste d'attente
•Décret n°2001-1802 du 7 Août 2001 fixant le montant et les modalités de perception et d'utilisation des redevances dues à l'inscription des variétés des semences et plants et l'homologation de leur production ou multiplication, à l'inscription des demandes et certificats d'obtention végétale aux catalogues y afférents et de la redevance annuelle due sur les certificats d'obtention végétale après leur inscription