GI tag for Basmati rice: Pakistan to challenge Indian claim of exclusivity

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India and Pakistan are again at loggerheads with each other over the Geographical Indication (GI) tagging of Basmati rice. Pakistan has decided to oppose India’s claim of GI tag for Basmati rice in the European Union (EU), reported Pakistani news website Dawn.

As per the Indian application, Basmati is special long grain aromatic rice grown and produced in a particular geographical region of the Indian sub-continent. It added that this region is a part of northern India, below the foothills of the Himalayas forming part of the Indo-Gangetic plain.

Despite the fact that Pakistan produces a wide range of Basmati rice in the country and benefits from its export to the EU and other parts of the globe, New Delhi has said that it is an Indian-origin product in its application, published on EU's official journal on September 11, reported News18.

"The special characteristic of Basmati is grown and produced in all districts of the state of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himanchal Pradesh, Uttarakhand as well as in specific districts of western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir", the Indian application maintained.

The decision to tackle Indian exclusivity over Basmati rice was taken during a meeting chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood. The meeting was attended by Secretary Commerce, Chairman, Intellectual Pro­perty Organisation (IPO-Pakistan), representatives of the Rice Exporters Asso­ciation of Pakistan (Reap) and the legal fraternity, the Dawn report said.

According to the report, an official statement issued after the meeting said that Reap representatives were of the view that Pakistan is a major grower and producer of Basmati rice and India’s claim for exclusivity is unjustified.