Pakistan’s new basmati definition has contradictions, includes Indian regions

Pakistan has come up with specifications for basmati rice as part of meeting its long-pending obligation to global trade but there are a few contradictions with India, including the growing regions.

New Delhi could find the definition easy to object in the European Union, the US or Australia. This is because there are some contradictions in its definitions, particularly with regard to the growing areas of the aromatic rice. In particular, Islamabad has included Indian regions Poonch, Bagh, Mirpur and Bhimber.

This is in direct conflict with India, which has included only Jammu, Kathua and Samba region. 

‘Contemporary reputation’

According to S Chandrasekaran, who has authored the book “Basmati rice: The natural history Geographical Indication”, the entire document corroborates the fact that the claim of Pakistan is based on the contemporary reputation.  

“They have not presented the required material evidence to prove the lineage.  The major conflict in the definition is Indo-Gangetic Plain and non-contiguous delimitation,” he said.

Pakistan’s definition of the basmati-growing areas is interesting compared to India’s. “Basmati rice is grown and produced in a particular geographical region of the Indian sub-continent: the Indo-Gangetic plain”. 

Indo-Gangetic plain

According to India, basmati is a special long-grain aromatic rice “grown and produced in a particular geographical region of the Indian subcontinent”. In India, this region falls in a part of the northern region below the foothills of the Himalayas, forming part of the Indo-Gangetic plain.

Pakistan’s definition that basmati is grown in the Indo-Gangetic plains means KPK cannot become a part of the growing region. “The Indo-Gangetic plain is present only on the eastern side of Pakistan. Thus, inclusion of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) is a contradiction,” Chandrasekaran said.

The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan released a revised specification on basmati rice two weeks ago. Islamabad has been under pressure after India filed for a geographical indication (GI) tag in the European Union, Australia and a couple of other nations over the last couple of years.

The EU has been dragging its feet on providing the GI tag to Indian basmati, while Australia had rejected Indian claims, pointing to Pakistan growing the rice. 

Though the EU and other western nations have been urging India to file for a joint GI tag with Pakistan, New Delhi has been firm on getting a unique tag on its own. 

Far-flung KPK areas

Document available with businessline show that Pakistan has included far-flung areas that are 350-500 km away from the main growing regions of the aromatic rice.

It has included KPK regions such as Dir, Swat and Malakhand. Pakistan States such as Punjab, Balochistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir are regions besides KPK. Pakistan has listed 33 varieties compared with India’s 40.  

Pakistan linking the photo-sensitivity characteristics of basmati to the environment is an interesting aspect. India, on the other hand, says “photo-sensitivity of traditional basmati varieties makes them vulnerable to erratic climate, which sometimes reduces productivity”.

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