Agreements on the return of immediate and/or long-term benefits and compensation for the use of source medicinal plant materials must be discussed and concluded, in writing, prior to collection or cultivation. Contract cultivation of medicinal plants from propagation materials obtained from indigenous medicinal plants of a given country may carry varying degrees of property rights. The issue of rights of access to genetic resources is more complex, especially if the propagation materials have a long history as an item of international commerce, and are not indigenous to a given country.