India’s Basmati claim to be challenged

Published October 6, 2020
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood categorically said that Pakistan will vehemently oppose India’s application in the European Union and restrain India from obtaining exclusive GI tag of Basmati rice. — PID Twitter/File
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood categorically said that Pakistan will vehemently oppose India’s application in the European Union and restrain India from obtaining exclusive GI tag of Basmati rice. — PID Twitter/File

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to file its opposition in the European Union in a reply to India’s claim of Geographical Indi­cation (GI) tag of Basmati rice.

This was decided during a meeting chaired by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Razak Dawood. The meeting was attended by Secretary Commerce, Chairman, Intellectual Pro­perty Organisation (IPO-Pakistan), representatives of Rice Exporters Asso­ciation of Pakistan (Reap) and the legal fraternity.

An official statement issued after the meeting said that Reap representatives were of the view that Pakistan is a major grower and producer of Basmati rice and India’s claim for exclusivity is unjustified.

Mr. Dawood categorically said that Pakistan will vehemently oppose India’s application in the European Union and restrain India from obtaining exclusive GI tag of Basmati rice. He further supported the concerns of Reap and relevant stakeholders and ensured that their claim for Basmati rice as GI will be protected.

It is pertinent to mention that India submitted an application in the EU claiming sole ownership of Basmati rice, falsely misrepresenting its exclusivity.

Published in Dawn, October 6th, 2020

Follow Dawn Business on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook for insights on business, finance and tech from Pakistan and across the world.

Opinion

A state of chaos

A state of chaos

The establishment’s increasingly intrusive role has further diminished the credibility of the political dispensation.

Editorial

Bulldozed bill
Updated 22 May, 2024

Bulldozed bill

Where once the party was championing the people and their voices, it is now devising new means to silence them.
Out of the abyss
22 May, 2024

Out of the abyss

ENFORCED disappearances remain a persistent blight on fundamental human rights in the country. Recent exchanges...
Holding Israel accountable
22 May, 2024

Holding Israel accountable

ALTHOUGH the International Criminal Court’s prosecutor wants arrest warrants to be issued for Israel’s prime...
Iranian tragedy
Updated 21 May, 2024

Iranian tragedy

Due to Iran’s regional and geopolitical influence, the world will be watching the power transition carefully.
Circular debt woes
21 May, 2024

Circular debt woes

THE alleged corruption and ineptitude of the country’s power bureaucracy is proving very costly. New official data...
Reproductive health
21 May, 2024

Reproductive health

IT is naïve to imagine that reproductive healthcare counts in Pakistan, where women from low-income groups and ...