The Battle For Basmati

By Dhananjaya Bhat The world production of Basmati rice, solely the world monopoly of India and Pakistan is said to be about four million tons in 2005-06, worth about 2600 million US dollars.

Of this Pakistan claims that it grows 2.2 million tones, while the Indian production is said to be 1.8 million tonnes with the export of basmati accounting for 1.1 million tonnes (Rs 3,030.32 crore).

In 2006, the bumper Indian harvest has further boosted basmati exports.

"India has been so competitive, that Pakistan was simply outpriced, especially in the EU market.

India's Pusa is selling at $480-520 per tonne compared to Pakistan Super at $520-530 per tonne" despite the fact that that the Pakistani exporters have an enormous exchange rate advantage, at Pakistani rs 63 to 64 for their dollar, against the Indian Rs 45-46.

A silent battle is raging in the international markets between these two growers of basmati and it is interesting to consider the saga of this famous fragrant rice.

Basmati is a variety of long grain rice, famous for its fragrance and delicate flavour.

Its name means "Queen of Fragrance" in Hindi.It has been cultivated in India and Pakistan for hundreds of years.

The Himalayan foothills are said to produce the best variety.

The Super Basmati, a premium variety from Pakistan and Dehraduni from India, are the most prized of the basmati varieties.

Even of the Dehraduni variety, the basmati grown in a location called Tapovan is said to be the superb.

The best types of basmati rice are aged for several years before they are milled and sold, as rice cooks better with a lower moisture content.

The grains of basmati rice are much longer than ordinary rice, and they grow even longer as they cook.

They stay firm and separate, not sticky, after cooking.

Basmati rice is available both as a white rice and a brown rice.

Both these cook in about 20 minutes.

Due to the high amount of starch clinging to the rice grains, many cooks wash this rice before cooking it.

Soaking it for half an hour to two hours before cooking makes the grains less likely to break in cooking.

According to experts, the home for traditional Basmati is Dehradun region in Uttaranchal.

Subsequently, new varieties were developed and grown in undivided Punjab during British rule.

After partition, both the countries continued growing Basmati even outside the Dehradun region for domestic consumption and exports.

Some agricultural scientists are of the view that India alone has the right of registration under geographical indications (GI) for Basmati..

But the International agricultural firms have not kept silent at the grand success of basmati in markets.

In 2000, the US corporation Rice Tec attempted to patent three variants created, called Texmati as hybrids of basmati rice and semi-dwarf long-grain rice.

The Indian government intervened and the attempt was thwarted.

Meanwhile, the European Commission has agreed to protect basmati rice under its regulations pertaining to geographical indications.

India and Pakistan agree that they must jointly prevent all efforts by other nations to patent the basmati.

But even here problems have erupted This is regarding a brand known as Super basmati, the ownership of which is claimed both by India and Pakistan.

The story of Super basmati is as follows:.

The Rice Research Institute at Kala Shah Kaku (Pakistan) has been instrumental in developing various varieites of Basmati rice, including the popular variety of Super Basmati.

Majeed is the scientist who developed this variety of rice in 1996.

Meanwhile scientists at Indian Agricultural Research Institute Pusa, New Delhi took the traditional basmati and genetically modified it to produce a hybrid which had most of the good features of traditional basmati (grain elongation, fragrance, alkali content) and the plant was a semi-dwarf type.

This basmati was called Pusa Basmati-1.

with a crop yield is higher than the traditional varieties (up to twice as much)and it has begun to be known is known in the international market as Super Basmati..

The dispute between the South Asian rivals arose after India registered aromatic Super Basmati variety under its Geographical Indication (GI) laws earlier in 2006.

Pakistan says it registered the same variety as a national trademark in 1995, and that it has been producing and exporting the rice for more than 20 years.

Of the 10 lakh tonnes of basmati that Pakistan exports, 'Super' constitutes over seven lakh tonnes bringing in 420 million U.s.dollars or equivalent of Indian rupees 2000 crores!.

Pakistan already claims that the introduction of Indian Super basmati has brought down its exports of Pakistani Super basmati by 40 percent.

Meanwhile other rice growing nations have not been idle and many varieties of fragrant rice, like the Jasmine fragrant rice of Thailand has come in the market.

But none have been able to match the Basmati in its appeal.

Even in India, attempts to grow basmati in the southern regions ended in failure, as the out put could not match the north Indian variety.