APEDA Act amendment to protect ‘Basmati Rice’
After Pakistan’s refusal to accept India’s offer of joint registration of basmati, under the Geographical Indications (GI), the government approved the amendment to empower the Agricultural and Processed Food Product Export Development Authority (Apeda) for undertaking the registration of intellectual property and patent rights by APEDA. This amendment would help in protecting India’s farm products like basmati rice from patent violations. According to the amendment, the registration of basmati rice, etc. as a geographical indication under the geographical indications of goods (registration and protection) act 1999 can be initiated and APEDA can effectively protect the geographical indication in India and abroad. After the amendment is passed by the Parliament, APEDA would be able to fight cases abroad whenever any violation takes place and Basmati would be registered by India under GI and will not be grown in other parts of the world.
GI for Basmati has not yet been registered. Since some parts of pakistan too have belts that have been growing basmati, it would be prudent if the area where basmati is grown is demarcated, and both the countries resister it separately as Indian Basmati and Pakastini Basmati. And why are we bringing here the issue of patents. Basmati is a GI, WHICH IS NOT YET REGISTERED, Strange but true, instead of fighting lets register it, and see that what sort of protection is US providing for basmati,Give it a certified origin of production from India, and aslo have the name TM protected.