Pakistan sets claim on Basmati rice, says they should have the GI tag for it
Time and again, there is some or other issue that keeps brewing the cold war between India and Pakistan. The two countries are again at loggerheads over the tag of Geographical Index for Basmati Rice. It's yet another political threat that Pakistan will face that can damage the country's exports.
India's claim is unjustified!
According to the reports, the Pakistani representatives have maintained that their country is a major producer of Basmati rice, and the claim by India is unjustified. The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood on Monday. According to the reports, 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.
What EU has to say?
As per the European Union's (EU) official journal, India has filed an application for the GI tag of Basmati Rice produced in India, which means the sole ownership. According to India's application, "Basmati is aromatic long-grain rice, which is produced in a particular geographical region of the Indian sub-continent. The region where it grows is a part of northern India, below the foothills of the Himalayas forming part of the Indo-Gangetic plain." The application further said that "The special characteristic of Basmati is grown and produced in all districts of the state of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand as well as in specific districts of western Uttar Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
What is a GI Tag?
It's a sign which means that a product has a specific geographic origin. It also signifies that a product posseses the qualities that can prove the region's origin.