ISLAMABAD: While Pakistan is defending its European Union case against the Indian attempt to register Basmati rice as its crop, the commodity is not yet registered in the world as a local product.
The laws specify that they must be covered under the geographical indication (GI) laws of that country before applying for the registration of any product on the international market.
However, the rules of the Geographical Indications (Registration and Protection) Act 2020, enacted in March of this year, do not exist and, as a result, Basmati is not yet a covered commodity in Pakistan.
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A rice exporter told Dharti News that the exporters, especially the Pakistan Rice Exporters Association, had been urging the government to formulate the GI laws since the beginning of 2000.
India claims before EU sole ownership of commodity
The laws were officially adopted in March of this year, but the principles of GI law have not yet been framed by the authorities. As a consequence, with Pakistani GI marking, many local exportable goods may not be registered anywhere in the world,’ said the exporter. Even now, the burden of the EU case is motivating the authorities to finalise the rules for GI law as soon as possible,” he added.”
After India filed an application with the European Union alleging sole possession of the commodity in September of this year, the question of the security of Basmati rice as a product of Pakistan came to the fore.
India asserted in its application that ‘Basmati’ was a particular long-grain aromatic rice that was grown and processed in a specific geographical area of the subcontinent.
India also reported that the area is a part of northern India, below the foothills of the Himalayas that are part of the Indo-Gangetic plain, after highlighting the brief history of Basmati rice.
The laws were officially adopted in March of this year, but the principles of GI law have not yet been framed by the authorities. As a consequence, with Pakistani GI marking, many local exportable goods may not be registered anywhere in the world,’ said the exporter. Even now, the burden of the EU case is motivating the authorities to finalise the rules for GI law as soon as possible,” he added.”
After India filed an application with the European Union alleging sole possession of the commodity in September of this year, the question of the security of Basmati rice as a product of Pakistan came to the fore.
India asserted in its application that ‘Basmati’ was a particular long-grain aromatic rice that was grown and processed in a specific geographical area of the subcontinent.
India also reported that the area is a part of northern India, below the foothills of the Himalayas that are part of the Indo-Gangetic plain, after highlighting the brief history of Basmati rice.
Incidentally, the topic was referred by the rice exporters to the Ministry of Commerce and its related branch, the Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) of Pakistan, after noticing the details of the new applications on the EU website.
Since the matter was forwarded for a public hearing and a notice of objection, the case was taken up by the authorities and a meeting was held in October by the advisor to the Prime Minister of Commerce, Abdul Razak Dawood.
Finally, earlier this month, the Indian claim to the EU was disputed, and Pakistan’s key contention was that basmati rice was a joint product of India and Pakistan.
Pakistan annually exports 500,000 to 700,000 tonnes of basmati rice to various parts of the world, of which 200,000 to 250,000 tonnes are exported to EU countries.
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Meanwhile, in response to a question, IPO Speaker Meesak Arif said the GI law rules were in the final stages and were likely to be informed shortly.
“The rules are in the printing process and will soon be notified by the Ministry of Commerce,” Mr Arif said, adding that the government had approved the Pakistan Trade Development Authority (TDAP) as the lead agency for Basmati rice.
He added that shortly after the rules had been informed, the TDAP would apply for the GI defence of basmati rice in the region, which would effectively make Pakistan’s case strong in the EU and elsewhere.
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