Madhya Pradesh pushes demand for including state as 'basmati' rice producer

Basmati rice growers and the Madhya Pradesh government have intensified their demand from the Centre for amendment in geographical indication registration (under the geographical indications of goods registration and protection Act, 1999 ) of state basmati rice. After receiving a cold response from the Centre, the state government has now renewed its demand.

Madhya Kshetra Basmati Utpadak Sangh (Basmati Growers’ Association) has demanded that Agriculture and Processed Food Products Export Promotion Agency (Apeda) should file an amended application in this regard.

If basmati is registered without including Madhya Pradesh, a local grower or a person caught infringing upon a registered GI rice is liable for imprisonment of 6 months to 3 years with a minimum fine of Rs 50,000 to a maximum of Rs 2 lakh.

According to president of the association Rajesh Thakur, “Apeda has ignored Madhya Pradesh for registration and protecting intellectual property rights or similar rights including geographical indication for basmati rice. Apeda has learnt to take basmati rice grown only in Indo-Gangetic plains, thereby included Haryana, Punjab, Jammu, Uttrakhand Delhi and Uttar Pradesh for geographical indication.

Speaking to Business Standard from New Delhi over telephone, a senior Apeda official said, “We only put up cases recommended by the Centre through a proper process. We do not have a direct role in the matter.”

In a recent meeting of GI consultative committee, the Apeda had submitted that basmati rice cultivation to be restricted within Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi and 26 districts of western Uttar Pradesh and two districts of Jammu & Kashmir.

The basmati rice is grown on area of approximately 50,000 hectare in Madhya Pradesh. According to experts, basmati is grown in Raisen districts for the last few years, farmers are growing rice but state government has never marketed it as Basmati, even in its agricultural data it has put it has paddy.

Moreover, intellectual property right issue has never been taken seriously in the state as a result of which the state failed to raise the issue at the right forum. “Agriculture produce marketing committee Act 1969 of Madhya Pradesh registered all varieties of rice termed as paddy, even basmati is known as paddy in Madhya Pradesh. From 2007, the MP government has started segregating data on various rice varieties. But before that MP has no data or documentation on basmati rice. There is no awareness regarding IPR and they have not made any amendment in the Act,” former managing director of MP State Agro Industries Corporation K K Tiwari said.