Ethiopia government is set for a legal battle in respect of patent rights for teff – an African grass economically important as a cereal grass. Teff, famed for yielding white flour of good quality is at the center of a patent war between the government and a Dutch company. Speaking on the issue, Ftism Arega; a former Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister and Commissioner of the Ethiopian Investment Commission wrote on Twitter: “I looked into the Teff patent issue. “It is an issue of our inability to own our national assets in the international legal system. The company that was granted the patent incidentally however has ceased to exist and the patent is in the name of an individual.

Source: Ethiopian News February 04, 2019 09:45 UTC