Basmati A Generic Name: Ricetek

The much-talked about `basmati is not a brand but a generic name, according to Robin Andrews,president of Ricetec which has obtained a US patent about the plant.

Andrews, in a wire service whose dispatch has been published in the US Media, also claimed that his company has been selling American basmati (as Texmati) for 20 years.

He said the US Patent the company obtained on September 2 covers the improved version of `US Basmati rice. The reason that we patented it, he said, is to prevent other firms from using our seeds. This is a normal thing to do. The law firm of Sagar and Suri, representing the Indian government which has opposed such a patent, said that it will try to establish that the patent obtained by Ricetek claims protection for plant varieties which already exist, so they cannot be patented.