Presidential Legislative Decree No. 24 of 2012 establishing the General Authority for Scientific Agricultural Research.

This Legislative Decree, comprising 22 articles, aims to establish the General Commission for Scientific Agricultural Research tasked with the following (i) develop and implement the general policy for agricultural scientific research, determine its priorities, and align it with agricultural development plans; (ii) contribute to identifying agricultural problems that hinder the development of agricultural production and prepare plans and programs to address them; (iii) conduct agricultural research across all fields, with a focus on applied research that directly contributes to agricultural development, increased and improved production, reduced production costs, and the conservation of agricultural natural resources; (iv) train and qualify personnel in various scientific and practical fields; (v) organize scientific conferences, seminars, and specialized workshops; (vi) cooperate with relevant entities in the fields of agricultural and environmental scientific research and carry out joint research and studies pursuant to memoranda of understanding or specific research programs; (vii) provide agricultural extension bodies with the results of agricultural research and cooperate with them to disseminate and implement such results; (viii) document the results of agricultural scientific research and publish periodic bulletins. The Commission is managed by a Board of Directors and a Director General. The Board, chaired by the Minister and composed of representatives from relevant ministries, universities, and professional bodies, oversees the Authority by approving research policies, priorities, annual plans, the budget proposal, organizational structure, and the annual activity report. The Commission implements specialized research programs to address agricultural needs through research teams from within or outside the Commission. The Minister establishes each program by decision, specifying its structure, duration, location, administration, participants, and their respective responsibilities. The Commission owns all research results, studies, discoveries, inventions, and newly developed plant varieties and hybrids, and may register and exploit them directly or through third parties, including obtaining relevant rights from others under Board-approved terms. The Minister, in agreement with the Minister of Finance, determines the marketing mechanisms for the Commission’s products, the fees for services provided (such as analyses, tests, and studies), and the employees’ share of those fees. Article 12 categorizes the staff structure (Scientific Research, Technical, Laboratory, and Administrative/Services) and specifies the application of Law No. 14 of 2011 regulating the provisions of scientific research bodies.