Rice: India
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Contents |
Basmati
The GI tag issue
As in 2021, India vs Pakistan
June 28, 2021: The Times of India
Allies turned foes to take on US firm
Pakistan and India started off as allies against a Texas-based company called RiceTec which tried to appropriate and patent Basmati rice In the 1990s. Indian agricultural scientists dug up historical records and found that basmati had been mentioned in a Punjabi poem called Heer-Ranjha written by Waris Shah in 1766 to contest the US company’s claim. Together, the two countries managed to thwart the company’s attempts.
Ice over rice
In 2018, India applied for a GI tag in the European Union so that it would get exclusive rights to export. Pakistan, which didn’t have domestic GI laws in place, had to wait till September 2020 to file a counter petition. It claimed that basmati initially grew only in Pakistan and India took seeds from it. It also used the Heer-Ranjha citation to bolster its case as the story was set in the town of Jhang, which is in Pakistan’s Punjab.
Why does the GI tag matter?
One country getting the GI tag would mean that they would have monopoly over basmati rice markets in Europe. For India, the GI tag would boost India’s basmati rice exports up to $500 million in a couple of years, according to estimates, which is double what is being exported to the region right now.
Will the feud be settled soon?
Now, some reports say that both countries are working on a way to share ownership for the product. That will settle another feud, and Europeans can continue to feast on biryanis and pulaos.
Exports
2015-21
Richa Gandhi, Sep 7, 2023: The Times of India
From: Richa Gandhi, Sep 7, 2023: The Times of India
India is the world’s second largest producer and biggest exporter of rice. So, its decision to stop the export of non-basmati rice has shocked the global food market. The ban, likely to last till the end of the paddy harvest season in November, could cause shortages, driving global food prices upwards, says Richa Gandhi.
2012 – 23
From: Ashok Gulati and Raya Das, July 31, 2023: The Times of India
See graphic:
Category wise rice exports from India, FY12 to FY23
New varieties
2020: Telangana Sona, fit for diabetics
HYDERABAD: Diabetics are generally told to avoid having large quantities of rice given that it is rich in carbohydrates. But a new variety of rice developed and cultivated by Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agriculture University may not only help in reducing blood glucose, it may also help in fighting cardiovascular diseases.
According to the researchers, the new variety — ‘Telangana Sona’ — has only 51.6% glucose when compared to other varieties which have between 55% and 62% glucose. Another important finding about this variety is that it has less carbohydrates than even millets, according to National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), Secunderabad.
A paper on Sona has now been published in a recent issue of the reputed American Journal of Food Nutrition as useful variety with low glycemic index (GI). The researchers say the variety is effective in reducing type 2 diabetes.
“In conclusion, it can be reported from the study that the low GI rice RNR 15048 can be useful therapeutic diet that helps in reduction of blood glucose and elevation in plasma HDL Cholesterol levels in patients with type 2 diabetes,” the paper states. Food low on GI release glucose slowly and steadily. Foods high on GI release glucose rapidly.
Sona was developed by the university three years ago along with another variety named after Bathukamma, Telangana’s floral festival celebrated during Dasara. “Since then, we have been promoting this variety. A few lakh hectares in Telangana have been converted into Sona cultivation,” professor Pravin Rao, vice chancellor of the university, told TOI. “I can say this is the most authentic diabetic-friendly developed in the country.”
Officials say that the variety is also farmer-friendly as it gives yield in very short span when compared to other varieties. Farmers can expect the yield within 120 to 130 days.
