![]() A well known example of a GI product of India is ‘Darjeeling Tea’, which comes from the Darjeeling region of India.Įxports of rice are of importance to both India and Pakistan. As of 2019, 370 products are under Geographical Indication in the country. In India, the Geographical Indications of Goods ( Registration and Protection) Act came into force in 2003. Countries issue GI tags to their products under the law, in order to protect the product from imitation and misuse of its registered name. Under the TRIPS agreement, Geographical indication ( GI), is defined as an indication of the true geographical origin of products, with reputation, quality, or other characteristics of that product attributable to the origin. The case is still pending with no conclusion being reached. To further strengthen its case of opposition, Pakistan registered its Basmati Rice under its Geographical Indication Act 2020 on January 27, 2021. On 7th December 2020, the application received opposition from Pakistan, when its rice association, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan ( REAP) filed a notice with EU authorities. In India, this region is a part of northern India, below the foothills of the Himalayas forming part of the Indo-Gangetic Plains (IGP).” “Basmati is a special long grain aromatic rice grown and produced in a particular geographical region of the Indian sub-continent. The specification, which described Basmati Rice in India’s application with the EU, is as follows: The release also indicated that in the next three months, any entity, which objects to this application, can oppose it in the EU. An official release by the European Union on September 11, 2020, notified India’s application for getting the geographical indication for its Basmati Rice in the EU market. It all started when India registered its Basmati Rice GI in the European market last year, which has been countered by Pakistan. This blog itself focuses on one such product, which is the subject of an ongoing ‘GI ownership’ dispute between India and Pakistan at the EU – Basmati Rice. An instance of this is teas from Nepal being sold as Darjeeling Tea. ![]() This kind of ‘brand parasite syndrome’, if we may call it that, is also seen in specific products, which have developed a recognition for their unique characteristics due to the regions from where they originate. ![]() Essentially, while they are now separate countries with wide divergence in opinions, they do tend to try and leverage India’s historic pan-global brand image in cuisine to captivate their audiences. Any global traveler who would visit India-themed restaurants managed by Pakistanis ( or even Bangladeshis) will certainly vouch for this fact. A GI tag in the EU will be a step in the direction of a brighter future for Indian Basmati rice as exports of the product from India have been falling in regions including West As ia and EU.īesides their geopolitical rivalry India and Pakistan have a long shared history that expresses itself in interesting ways. ![]() Pakistan is more dependent on the EU market, with 14.8% of its Basmati Rice being supplied to the EU countries in 2019. India is the largest supplier of Basmati Rice, exporting 2% of rice to EU countries.On 7 December 2020, Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) filed a notice with EU authorities opposing India’s application.An official release by the European Union on Septemnotified India’s application for getting geographical indication for its Basmati Rice in the EU market.While fiercely defending its turf on historical veracity, India must proactively address the pesticide issues that are impacting Basmati Rice exports and indirectly strengthening the hand of its rival. India’s application to get GI tag on Basmati Rice in the EU market is on hold as Pakistan opposed the move with its own claim.
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