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Updated October 7th, 2020 at 10:58 IST

Pakistan to challenge India's claim for exclusive GI tag on Basmati rice in EU

Pakistan on Tuesday has decided to oppose India’s claim of GI tag for Basmati rice in the European Union. A legal team will file its formal opposition with EU.

Reported by: Brigitte Fernandes
Pakistan
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India and Pakistan are once again at loggerheads with each other over the Geographical Indication (GI) tagging of Basmati rice. Pakistan on Tuesday has decided to oppose India’s claim of GI tag for Basmati rice in the European Union (EU). The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood on Monday. A Pakistani legal team will file its formal opposition with the EU, according to reports.

The Pakistan representatives are of the view that their country is a major grower and producer of basmati rice and India’s claim for exclusivity is unjustified. Hence Pakistan is planning to vehemently oppose India’s application in the European Union and restrain India from obtaining an exclusive GI tag of basmati rice, according to reports.

India submitted an application with the European Union claiming sole ownership of basmati rice in September. According to the Indian application, Basmati is special long grain aromatic rice grown and produced in a particular geographical region of the Indian sub-continent while adding that the region is a part of northern India, below the foothills of the Himalayas forming part of the Indo-Gangetic plain.

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'Pakistan will vehemently oppose India's application'

The meeting to tackle Indian exclusivity over Basmati rice was attended by Secretary Commerce, Chairman, Intellectual Pro­perty Organisation (IPO-Pakistan), representatives of Rice Exporters Asso­ciation of Pakistan (REAP), and the legal fraternity. During the meeting, the REAP representatives were of the view that Pakistan was a major grower and producer of Basmati rice and India's application for exclusivity is unjustified.

Dawood said that Pakistan will vehemently oppose India's application in the European Union and restrain New Delhi from obtaining an exclusive GI tag of Basmati rice, the report said. He further supported the concerns of REAP and relevant stakeholders and ensured that their claim for Basmati rice as GI will be protected, it added. 

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(With inputs from PTI)

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Published October 7th, 2020 at 10:58 IST

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