After Kashmir, Koh-i-Noor and cricket, there’s another less-known fight that India and Pakistan have indulged in for some time now with gusto. The battle for basmati, the king of rice varieties often referred to as the ‘scented pearl’.
And matters might be coming to a head now in kissa Basmati ka. Earlier this week, both Australia and New Zealand officially recognised basmati as a product of Pakistan, much to India’s chagrin.
The oceanic countries seem to have accepted Pakistan’s claim and campaign that basmati originated from the Hafizabad district of Pakistani Punjab, au contraire to India’s claim that the rice comes from the Indo-Gangetic plains on the foothills of the Himalayas.
The bigger question now is whether the European Union, which is a much bigger and crucial market for basmati and is supposed to take a similar decision on the origin question, will go the same way.
India had applied a few years ago to the European Commission for a ‘protected geographical indication (PGI) tag’ which will give it the exclusive rights to use the term ‘Basmati’ along with these rice varieties, a la France fighting and winning the PGI tag ‘Champagne’ only for use with sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France.
At stake is the $27 billion global market for rice, with its aromatic slender, the long rice grain is the most premium and sought-after amongst all varieties. The export market for this ‘king of rices’ is dominated by rival neighbours, and business has shot up in recent years with the rising popularity of biryani and pilafs (pulao) across the world, where basmati is a preferred rice and key ingredient.
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Historically, basmati rice has been grown in the subcontinent for centuries — the name comes from Sanskrit ‘Vas’ meaning fragrance and ‘Mayup/Mati’ meaning ingrained, and is mentioned in classics like ‘Here Ranjha’. The fields of cultivation range from Uttarakhand in India across both Indian Punjab and Pakistani Punjab and into Sindh province of Pakistan. According to India’s commerce ministry body APEDA, a rice can be called basmati if it has a minimum average precooked length of 6.61 millimetres and breadth of 2 millimetres.
Pakistan had cranked up its basmati production in recent years, taking advantage of occasions like last year when India was forced to put restrictions on its basmati exports due to increasing domestic demand and subsequent scarcity. However, India remains the world’s biggest exporter of basmati presently at over $5 billion worth of exports, though Pakistan is closing in, where it is now a $4 billion export industry.
All eyes will now be on the EU's call on determining where basmati comes from. India had to wage a similar battle back in the 1990s when a US company went and not only branded, but also patented some varieties of basmati. The Indian government was forced to go in for years of litigation and negotiations since then to reverse many of those patents and certifications.
But when it comes to Pakistan, all is fair in (pu)lao and war. During the 1965 India-Pakistan war, Pakistani farmers had accused Indian soldiers of stealing their seeds. India retorted later that its rival was copying some of its most prized varieties. In the recent past, Pakistanis have also claimed that Pakistani basmati is imported by Indian traders into places like Dubai and were being packaged and sold branded as ‘Made in India’ basmati rice!
