Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications
Tuesday, Aug 30, 2005
Financial Daily from THE HINDU group of publications Tuesday, Aug 30, 2005 |
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Agri-Biz & Commodities
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Rice Experts stress need for promoting other aromatic varieties of rice Our Bureau
Dr M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, at a Symposium on "Aromatic and Medicinal Rice - Trade Related Issues" at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute in the Capital on Monday. — Ramesh Sharma
New Delhi , Aug 29 INDIA should market other varieties of good quality aromatic rice rather than limiting its focus to basmati only, according to experts. "Instead of trying to define all rice varieties with reference to basmati alone, India should develop different markets for different aromatic varieties of rice. Our scientists are developing various good quality, long grained, aromatic rice that can be grown in different regions of India," said Dr S Nagarajan, Director, Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI). There is a need to create a brand for each of those varieties and protect their identity in the international market by filing several geographical indication (GI) for each of the variety. "We should have GIs for different States such as Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, among others," Dr Nagarajan said, speaking at a seminar. GI stands for exact geographical areas of production. Calling for a logical, commercial, categorisation of all rice varieties, the United Rice Land Ltd Director, Mr R.S. Seshadri, said: "For a rice to be good, it does not have to be basmati." Different long-grained, aromatic variety of rice should be presented to consumers as such rather than branding them as basmati, he said. Any attempt to lower the bar for basmati would reduce realisations and the premium would disappear. Dr M.S. Swaminathan, Chairman of MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, said it was important to focus on three issues. "We must defend the gains we have made, extend the gains and make new gains," Dr Swaminathan said. There was a need to liquidate different long grained, aromatic varieties of rice grown in Koraput region of Orissa and Kerala, among others. "The halo of basmati has to be protected," he said. However, the KRBL Ltd Chairman, Mr Anil Mittal, called for changing the definition of basmati to include varieties that have traditional basmati in their lineage. Talking about Pusa 1121 variety of aromatic rice that has traditional basmati in its lineage, he said: "Pusa 1121 doesn't have a traditional basmati parentage, but it does have a traditional basmati grandparent." The country defines basmati as traditional basmati and evolved basmati variety (for those varieties that have traditional variety a direct parent) alongwith GI parameters. The exact GI parameters are yet to be defined (in terms of latitude and longitude). Moreover, experts also pointed out that while per unit realisation from basmati sales was declining, there was an urgent need to clearly define basmati GI parameters as soon as possible in order to maintain its exclusivity. "We must define the GI for basmati as early as possible," said Dr Swaminathan.
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