Basmati rice

Introduction
Rice is the grain with the second-highest worldwide production, after maize. It provides about one fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by the human species. World production of rice stands at about 550 million tonnes in 2010. But only about 56% of rice produced is traded internationally.

Major Producer

Major Exporters

Indias Rice Production

Major Importer of Indian rice

Basmati Rice - Features

Grown only in Himalayan Region of India & Pakistan nurtured by snow fed rivers Cannot be created artificially; the soil and climatic conditions of the Himalayan foothills that itself provides for its unique aroma and taste Tall, non-glutinous, fine, smooth silky texture and aromatic; draws a premium price in international markets "BASMATI is to rice" what "Champagne is to wine" and "Scotch is to whisky"

Varieties of Basmati Rice

Basmati 370 Pusa Basmati - I (IET-0364) Basmati 386 Punjab Basmati -1 (Bauni Basmati) Type 3 Haryana Basmati-1 (HKR228/IET 10367) Taraori Basmati (HBC-19) Kasturi (IET-8580) Basmati 217 Mahi Sugandha Ranbir Basmati (IET-11348)

Basmati Rice Production In India

3,000,000.00 2,500,000.00

2,000,000.00

1,500,000.00

1,000,000.00

500,000.00

0.00 Delhi Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir Punjab Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand

Basmati Rice Exports in MT

Branding of Basmati
Total domestic basmati consumption of 3.5 lakh metric tonnes Branded basmati accounts for about 1.25 lakh metric tonnes Growth rate of 20 percent a year Indian branded basmati market estimated at Rs. 600-700 crores Famous brands
Lal Qilla Double Diamond Brand Basmati Rice Resham brand Pari Basmati Rice Dawat Basmati Kohinoor Basmati Annapurna Blue Label Basmati Lal Haveli Basmati

Promotion by APEDA
Invited bids for installation of advertising hoardings at Terminal 3 of Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport The period of display will be for one year from May 16, 2011 At Jeddah, Saudi Arabias busiest airport, Saudi dates are promoted via hoardings and even sold at shops Total basmati rice production is estimated at 7 million tonnes in the 2010-11 crop year 10 per cent higher than 6.4 mt recorded in the previous year India shipped 2.01 mt basmati rice mainly to the UAE, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Europe and the US

Promotions by APEDA
Huge potential for export in US Zee Heritage Of India and Fancy Food & Confectionary Show Rice testing session at the venue, where special dishes made of Indian basmati rice prepared by chefs served Launch of "Quality Produce of India" logo to establish distinct image of Indian basmati rice Buyer-seller meet will be organised, providing exporters an exclusive opportunity to interact with importers Zee TV had captured the event

India-US Basmati rice dispute

Identification
In 1997, an American company RiceTec Inc, was granted a patent by the US patent office to call the aromatic rice grown outside India 'Basmati RiceTec had brands existing brands like Kasmati and Texmati with minimal success After obtaining the patent rights, RiceTec could label the rice as Basmati, locally as well as for exports Grave repercussions for India and Pakistan
losing out on the 45,000 tonne US import market which accounted for 10 percent of the Basmati exports Lose ground in other crucial markets such as EU, UK, Middle East and West Asia

A violation of the fundamental fact that the long grain aromatic rice grown only in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh is called Basmat

The Rice Patent

RiceTec Inc, was issued the Patent number 5663484 on Basmati rice lines and grains on September 2, 1997 Growing rice plants with certain characteristics identical to Basmati The grain produced by such plants The method of selecting the rice plant based on a starch index (SI) test devised by RiceTec Inc

Impact on India and Pakistan

A theft of collective intellectual and biodiversity heritage on Indian farmers A theft from Indian traders and exporters whose markets are being stolen by RiceTec Inc A deception of consumers since RiceTec is using a stolen name Basmati for rice which are derived from Indian rice but not grown in India, and hence are not the same quality

Government of Indias Reaction

Approach the US patent office and urge them to reexamine the patent Set up a high level ministerial group to begin an in-depth examination of the case Similar to the patent case of using Turmeric as a healing agent A clause in US patent laws that accepts any information already available in published or written form anywhere in the world as 'common knowledge The US government's decision to grant a patent for the prized Basmati rice violates the International Treaty on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Violated the Geographical Indications act under the TRIPS

The Outcome
Both voluntarily and due to review decisions by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, RiceTec lost or withdrew most of the claims of the patent Withdrew the right to call their rice lines "basmati.