The rice battle
December 29, 2020
The battle over Pakistan s claim that it is a producer of basmati rice is now taking a more serious turn. Pakistan and India, between them, are the two largest producers of the rice variety in the world. And basmati rice is considered one of the superior rice kinds sold anywhere in the world. Pakistan s problem over the issue stems from the fact that for a long time there were no rules in place in the country that could show that geographically it is a major producer of basmati rice, a product which makes up its second largest export after textiles. The geographical indicators protection rule was passed as law in March 2020. But this is still to be fully put in place in the country and nuts and bolts tightened so that basmati rice can be registered within Pakistan as its product. Only once this happens can Pakistan apply to the EU to register basmati rice as one of its products.