A heat wave has spread widely across the country over the issue of Basmati registration as the collective mark by Basmati Growers Association (BGA) which is only a seven-member entity.
All the stakeholders of Basmati including millers, traders, exporters and even growers from various parts of the country expressed their deep concern over the issue and said that the registration of Basmati by the BGA is an attempt to monopolise this national heritage.
They said that millions of stakeholders could be badly effected because of registration of Basmati to a body, which is an entity of seven members.
All the stakeholders of Basmati rice feared that the trade of this commodity would be monopolised by only few people of BGA. The people interested in doing business of this commodity would have to get permission from the BGA and after a two-year period the BGA would announce a fee for others for trading in the same product.
They alleged that the BGA got the registration of Basmati with the support of the ministry of commerce by using the short cut formula. The Rice Export Association of Pakistan (REAP) has filed an objection in Trade Mark Registry to oppose the registration of Basmati to the BGA.
Haji Abdul Majeed, Chairman REAP while opposing the registration of Basmati as collective mark to the BGA said that Basmati is a national heritage and it should be registered by the Government of Pakistan instead of an entity of few people.
He suggested activating the Pakistan Rice Board (PRB), which legally exists in the country. He also suggested registering Basmati to the PRB to keep the identity of this commodity as national heritage.
A leading rice exporter, Shamsul Islam said that the Basmati trade contributes a major share in rice exports, which has crossed $1.1 billion mark in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year. After the registration of Basmati as a collective mark with the BGA, the trade of this commodity would be monopolised and all the other stakeholders would be affected badly. He suggested that government should take immediate and necessary steps to save the trade of this commodity, which is a national heritage and having a major share in country's exports.