Rice exporters urged to pursue case

KARACHI: The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the rice exporters to promptly pursue matters relating to basmati geographical indications (GI) and trademark in the light of the Delhi High Court orders, setting aside pretentious restrictions imposed by the Indian government, a statement said on Saturday.

UNISAME President Zulfikar Thaver said that the judgement of the Delhi High Court had set aside the Indian government's decision to restrain production of basmati only to the Indo-Gangetic plains on the pretense of maintaining the quality and purity of seeds.

The basmati’s geographical indication (GI) was restricted to the Indo-Gangetic region in seven states, which meant that only the rice grown in these specified regions would be termed basmati and the seeds so produced for basmati cultivation could not be grown outside have also been set aside by the Delhi HC.

The State of Madhya Pradesh had claimed that the 13 districts in the Madhya Pradesh state should also be included in the GI for basmati.

Since the Madhya Pradesh had contended that the Indian government’s move was against the provisions of the Seeds Act, the court also carefully examined the scope and the ambit of the act, Thaver said.

The Delhi HC has negated the Indian government’s move to recognise only rice grown on the foothills of the Himalaya mountains as basmati, disregarding the other aspects, namely, the features of the purity of the seeds and its germination, which inherit the aroma, taste, length and look.

Fortunately, in Pakistan the best selected seeds are used to grow basmati, which for centuries have earned the reputation across the world for its taste, aroma, length and look and Pakistan’s super basmati is the banquet rice in royal families.