Pakistan has been spreading that it has got recognition for its Basmati rice in New Zealand and Australia, which is completely “false and misleading,” an Indian government official said, accusing the neighbouring country of resorting to lies due to its own internal problems.
“They know that they cannot get recognition for Basmati rice as a Geographical Indication (GI) product in New Zealand and Australia after the (past) judgement on India’s application by their Intellectual Property Offices,” an industry source said, adding Pakistan may have got some indication of an adverse order likely to be pronounced by the IP Offices and resorting to please the domestic audience.
On February 12, media channels in Pakistan published and aired “false and incorrect” facts regarding India’s ownership claims/applications for Basmati having been dismissed by New Zealand and Australia, a government source said. These reports claimed that Pakistan has won Basmati rice ownership claims “against India”, he said.
Hearings schedule
Clarifying the current status of position of Basmati rice GI there, the official said India’s petition is set for trial before the Federal Court of Australia in April 2025 and a hearing is expected before the High Court of New Zealand this month. India has moved these appellate authorities after the IP Offices declined to grant GI for Basmati.
Media reports in Pakistan also claimed that the European Commission (EC) is also expected to favour Pakistan soon in similar applications when the applications by both India and Pakistan are pending before the EC for registration of Basmati as a protected Geographical Indication.
“In the European Union, Pakistan prevents the authorities from disclosing its entire application in the fear of losing the case. The reason is that Pakistani Basmati rice does not have historic reputation like Bharat. The fear of loosing the cases in various countries has pushed Pakistan to unveil the false news and narrative to manage its domestic constituents,” said S Chandrasekaran, the author of a book on Basmati GI.
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The Agricultural and Processed Food Exports Development Authority (APEDA) has been actively engaged in the protection of ‘Basmati’ name and logo certification trademark applications in these jurisdictions. In fact, APEDA already holds a logo mark registration in New Zealand for Basmati while Pakistan has no such registration, officials said.
“It is also notable that no registration has been granted to Pakistan till date in either of these countries,” the official source said. Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) has been pursuing the cases on Basmati GI.
However, it is likely that the European Commission is unlikely to provide Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) tag for Pakistan’s basmati rice in the European Union. This is because the EC has accepted Italy’s opposition to Pakistan’s application filed earlier in 2024.
The EC decided on September 23, 2024, after the Committee of Agriculture meeting of the European Union members. Italy raised the issue and it was supported by Bulgaria, Romania, Spain and Greece.