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| Unresolved 'Super' Basmati rice dispute | | Pak hasn't decided on response to India's move | | From B L KAK
NEW DELHI, July 9: A dispute between India and Pakistan makes news, always. Both bureaucracy and media in the two countries are in motion even if the dispute is on non-political and non-military issues.
No wonder, the dispute on 'Super' Basmati rice continues to be newsworthy. Pakistan's Commerce Ministry is still undecided whether or not to challenge India's decision of getting a global patent on a Pakistani variety of "Super" Basmati rice.
The dispute between the two South Asian neighbours arose early this year after India got the aromatic super Basmati variety under its geographical Indication (GI) laws.
Pakistan claims that it had already got the same variety of rice registered as a national trademark way back in 1995 in the official gazette under its Seeds Act 1976 and had begun producing and exporting it as far back as 1985.
As the Indian side was reluctant to pay heed to Pakistan's objections, the Pak Commerce Ministry decided in mid-June 2006 to challenge the Indian move. However, some officials in the Pakistani Foreign Office have voiced their opposition to the move, saying Pakistan's case was weak as Islamabad did not have any geographical indicators (GI) law.
A GI Act, which has not yet been enacted because of differences among Pakistan's rice growers, is meant to protect the national heritage of the country through geographical identification of agricultural produce. Therefore, the Pak Foreign Office has reportedly suggested that the Commerce Ministry first frame appropriate laws.
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