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Basmati rice

V Kumaresan, Madurai

This refers to the editorial `Save Basmati' (Business Line, August 28). Basmati rice is the pride of Indian farmers. There is a battle on to capture the benefits of basmati rice through patent rights by MNCs. Having failed to capture the patent rights fo r basmati rice, the MNCs have succeeded in getting a certificate from the United States Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO). The certificate, given to the Texas-based Rice Tech Inc which has evolved the rice lines BAS 867, RT 1117 and RT 1121, has an im plied patent right. It has been certified that ``the novel rice lines...produce rice grains having characteristic similar or superior to those of good quality Basmati rice''. By the issuance of such a certificate, the direct patent rights may not be avai lable to the American company, but the purpose for which the patent right was sought has been achieved.

The battle to protect basmati rice still continues. India can fight the enforceability of the provisions through the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration of Goods) Act, 1999, a provision available under the WTO, so that basmati rice is not iss ued a patent that favours certain vested, commercial interests, either expressly or implied.

In the past, the threat to Indian agriculture by WTO was ignored by politicians and bureaucrats. The majority of the Indian population, especially farmers were either unaware or unmindful of the environmental and economic scene in the country. Public opi nion must be mobilised for a referendum on whether India should continue adhering to WTO provisions to protect her interests. This is a difficult task and many political parties may shy from it. However, it is not the permanence of a political party that should matter to politicians and citizens, but the protection of the country's economic interests. And basmati rice is an economic issue.