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Two-day parleys of the joint working group (JWG) of Pakistan and India will start on Friday (November 7) in Islamabad to discuss joint registration of Basmati rice as Geographical Indication (GI), under the Geographical Indications of Goods and Registration and Protection Act, official sources told Business Recorder here on Thursday.
"We are going to discuss some of the issues, which remained unresolved in the previous meeting," said one of the Commerce Ministry officials on condition of anonymity. The JWG held its last meeting in April in India, aimed at preparing a joint case for registration of the Basmati rice. The sources said the Indian delegation would comprise seven members, to be headed by Joint Secretary of the Department of Commerce Dinesh Sharma.
Two representatives of rice farmers and exporters will also be part of the official delegation. Pakistani side would be led by Joint Secretary (Export) Ijaz Chaudhary and would comprise officials from different Ministries, including Minfal. Chaudhary finalised Pakistan's strategy in an inter-ministerial informal meeting held on Thursday. According to the officials, GI is given to products with a reputation attributable to its place of origin or the area where it is manufactured. GI is highlighted during the marketing of a product to fetch a higher value.
Both the countries had started consultation several years ago to prepare a common strategy to get Basmati registered jointly, but failed to do so due to political constraints. At some stage, a row had erupted between India and Pakistan over registration of Basmati rice when Delhi developed a "Super" Basmati variety in Kharif 2003 season under the Exports Inspection Certification Act.
The sources said Pakistan had considered legal action against India for announcing "Super" Basmati rice as an Indian product after detailed discussions with top officials of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR). The Trading Corporation of Pakistan (TCP) and Rice Export Association of Pakistan (Reap) were ready to represent Pakistan in India to proceed with the case in an Indian court. However, both the countries, during the course of composite dialogue, decided to resolve the issue amicably.
Basmati rice is primarily cultivated in India and Pakistan. The Himalayan foothills are said to produce the best Basmati. The "Super" Basmati, a premium variety from Pakistan and grown in Dehradun in India, is the most prized of the Basmati varieties.
Pakistani exporters have blamed Islamabad's failure to contest Indian registration of "Super" Basmati nine months ago as the main reason for the resultant controversy. It is imperative that prompt legal action be taken in this regard, otherwise the country may lose export earnings.
It maybe recalled that RiceTec Inc, a US-based company, was granted a controversial patent in September 1997 on Basmati rice grains and lines, much to India's and Pakistan's disadvantage. India promptly challenged this patent and RiceTec Inc was forced to withdraw its claim.
Subsequently, the US Patent and Trademark office prohibited RiceTec from using the term Basmati and restricted the scope of the patent to three specific rice strains developed by the US company that are not related to varieties produced in India. Pakistan, therefore, must begin to more vigorously pursue its own interests in the matter of patents.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2008

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