GI TAG FOR BASMATI RICE

  • November 5, 2020
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Subject : Economy

Context : Delhi seeks geographical indication status for its basmati rice, angering Islamabad.

Concept :

Basmati Rice

  • It is one of the best known varieties of rice all across the globe.
  • It is a long grain rice which has its origin from India and some parts of Pakistan.
  • It has a unique position in the rice world due to its price, fragrance, grain morphology as well as quality.
  • Basmati rice has a unique fragrance and flavour caused due to the presence of a chemical called 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline.
  • This chemical is found in basmati rice at about 90 parts per million (ppm) which is 12 times more than non-basmati rice varieties.
  • Basmati rice needs specific climatic conditions to grow which is why it is cultivated in selected regions of India.
  • It is cultivated in the states of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and kashmir and western Uttar Pradesh.

Geographical Indication (GI)

  • It is an insignia on products having a unique geographical origin and evolution over centuries with regard to its special quality or reputed attributes.
  • It is a mark of authenticity and ensures that registered authorized users or at least those residing inside the geographic territory are allowed to use the popular product names.
  • GI tag in India is governed by Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration & Protection) Act, 1999. It is issued by the Geographical Indications Registry (Chennai).

Benefits of GI Tag

  • It provides legal protection to Indian Geographical Indications thus preventing unauthorized use of the registered GIs by others.
  • It promotes economic prosperity of producers of goods produced in a geographical territory.
  • The GI protection in India leads to recognition of the product in other countries thus boosting exports.
economy GI TAG FOR BASMATI RICE