The European Commission has accepted the plea by Pakistani rice exporters against India’s exclusive rights to export basmati rice. The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) had filed a Notice of Opposition last year against India’s claim on the Geographical Indication (GI) of Basmati in the EU, the association revealed.
“REAP has taken this step on behalf of rice exporters and farmers of Pakistan who are at the risk of losing a billion dollars worth of income,” REAP’s official statement read.
Earlier this year, Pakistan had registered Basmati Rice as Geographical Indication (GI) under the ‘Geographical Indications Act 2020’, following India’s efforts to remove the ‘Basmati’ title from Pakistani rice, claiming Basmati rice as an Indian brand.
Meesaq Arif, Executive Director of Intellectual Property Organization (IPO) had then termed it a “land mark achievement in the field of Intellectual Property Geographical Indication.”
India had filed an application to the European Union demanding that long-grain aromatic rice be recognized as an exclusively Indian brand. In the European Union, IPO Pakistan in December had challenged the Indian bid to obtain exclusive Geographical Indication tag for Basmati rice.
