MP argues for inclusion of the region under GI tag for basmati

Apeda argued against GI Registrar's order directing inclusion of MP into the areas which come under the GI tag

The state of Madhya Pradesh has submitted to the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) that its claims should be treated at par with the states which have been recommended for registration of Geographical Indications (GI) tag for basmati rice by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda).

The state put forward the argument when the related matters came up for hearing in the IPAB today. It may be noted that Apeda and various other parties have filed appeal with the Appellate Board in connection with the Geographical Indications (GI) Registry's order, which asked the exporters' body to resubmit the GI application by including the regions of Madhya Pradesh also under the claim for GI tag for basmati rice.

When the matter came up for hearing for the second consecutive day the counsel appearing for the state argued that the state has been producing the particular rice for several decades and thousands of farmers are involved in its cultivation.

Earlier, during the day, Apeda has argued that Madhya Pradesh is not a state which is in the Indo-Gangetic Plane where the rice is being cultivated traditionally. It also argued that while the state claims that the rice produced there has charecteristics of basmati, the temperature and the day length in the state is different from the traditional basmati producing states and thus, it cannot be included under the GI.

Apeda has earlier filed an application for registration of basmati as GI in class 30 under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999, without including area in MP.