Note: the veracity of this story has been disputed by the Institute if Bio-Diversity Conservation. Their correction/comment is found in the comments section.
A Netherlands company, Soil and Crop, has allegedly defaulted on an agreement with Ethiopia’s Institute of Bio-Diversity Conservation. Soil and Crop and the Institute of Bio-Diversity Conservation, Ethiopia reached an arrangement on marketing teff products in 2005.
The agreement reached between the two bodies requires Soil and Crop to acknowledge the Ethiopian origins of teff, collaborate on research programs, pay for license renewal and share profits with the Ethiopian governmental institute.
The Dutch company exported several genetic varieties of teff and 1400 quintals of seed types from the Bishtu Agricultural Research Center according to Dr. Gemedo Dalle of the plant Genetic Resources Center, Ethiopia.Soil and Crop, however, failed to comply with its end of the contractual obligations even after the Institute of Biodiversity made repeated efforts said Dr Gemedo.
Soil and Crop has farms in Holland, Belgium and Germany producing teff according to Dr Gemedo.
It is known that Soil and Crop marketed biscuits, cake and bread made from teff with a picture of Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopian track star on the packaging he explained.
Kenenisa Bekele denied any knowledge of the efforts to market teff products with his picture.
The Ethiopian Foreign Ministry and the Embassy of the Netherlands are organizing experts to investigate the issue in a collaborative effort.
Source: The Reporter
