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India’s Right to First Claim Over Basmati

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Jul 11, 2021, 5:30:36 AM7/11/21
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India’s Right to First Claim Over Basmati

Varsha Venkataraman July 2, 2021

Even as India battles multiple challenges to its preferential commercial
status of ‘Basmati’, it is important to know why it has a right to stake
first claim. Basmati is one of India’s rich bundle of traditional knowledge.

Recently, India, the world’s largest exporter of basmati rice, has
applied for protected geographical indication (PGI) status from the
European Union’s Council on Quality Schemes for Agricultural Products
and Foodstuffs. This would give it sole ownership of the basmati title
in the EU. Pakistan, which is the only other basmati rice exporter in
the world, has opposed this move citing it would impact its exports.

Late 1997, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted a
patent to Ricetec Inc., for a novel grain. This novel grain was also
named basmati and claimed to have better qualities than the original
grain. The novel grain was developed by inter-breeding original basmati
with the American strain Texmati. Many Indian NGOs like Center for Food
Safety and even the Center for Scientific and Industrial Research
objected to the patent. It was vital that the patent be retracted
because if the patent stayed, that would put restrictions on the
commodity by indigenous communities. They eventually won the patent
battle and protected their traditional crop.

India is home to a wide variety of rice that are found in many treatises
including Sangam literature. Among the varieties, scented rice were
prominent in ancient India. Basmati from the northwest, Kalanamak from
Uttar Pradesh, Jeerakasambha of Tamil Nadu and Ambemohor of Maharashtra
are few of the known varieties of scented rice.

There have been many references to them in various texts. Scented rice
was indeed a favourite among the Royals and the elite members of the
society. The earliest reference to aromatic rice has been found in the
Charaka and Sushrutha Samhita. Acharya Charaka in his book divided
scented rice into three types- Mahasali (large grained), Sugandhaka
(flavoured) and Pramodaka (fragrant). Acharya Sushrutha added two more
to that list- Pundrika (white lotus like fragrance) and Pushpandaka
(fragrance of flowers).

In the 9th century, Kashyapa wrote a book Kashyapiyakrishisukti which is
considered to be the earliest treatise dedicated to agriculture. He
divided rice into 26 groups among which four were the scented groups. It
was also mentioned in a 14th century Assamese version of the Ramayana
written by poet Kaviraja Madhava Kandali.

Basmati, an aromatic rice variety native to India, derives its name from
two Sanskrit words- Vas meaning aroma and matup meaning ingrained or
possessing. This cereal was initially found growing in the northern
parts of India specifically Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh Jammu and
Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Now the
grain is widespread across the world, yet India remains the largest
exporter of Basmati rice.

Basmati variants include red-brown, black and golden. Lal Basmati, the
red-brown variety was found to be used extensively in the royal kitchen
of Akbar. This variety, extensively grown in the west, is resistant to
insects and other pests when compared to the other variants. This dark
red husked variant ripened quickly and contained small white grains.

A look into the footprints of Basmati- Basmati was sent as gifts to
other royals and noblemen who visited India. That was the value of
Basmati rice. It was allowed to be grown for royal use only, under the
king’s supervision. For instance, Tapovan basmati in Uttarakhand was
grown by the entire village of Tapovan for king’s consumption. The Nawab
of Hyderabad grew fond of the variety and issued an order for it be
grown in his kingdom. Needless to say, the British too appreciated
Basmati and grew it in eastern India. The king of Iran took a basmati
equivalent to Iran. Alexander is also said to have taken rice back to
Greece.

Basmati rice plays a role in ayurvedic cooking. White basmati rice is
considered sattvic and balances the tridoshas. It builds body tissues
and is rich in Prana, the life-force. Dr Somit Kumar, Director, AVP
Research Foundation adds, “Basmati possesses a sweet rasa and is known
to increase Vata/Kapha while decreasing Pitta. It reduces thirst,
tiredness and more importantly, it strengthens the body and the
developing foetus.”

Basmati was consumed not just due to its aroma but also due to the
numerous benefits it had. Rice is a staple grain in India and is
consumed in various forms across the nation. Off-late, a large section
of the population has decided to keep rice at bay. Most rice varieties
have a high glycaemic content and it is replaced by rice that has low
glycaemic content or other grains such as millets or the “newcomer” Quinoa.

Basmati is a tall slender grain possessing exquisite smell (owing to the
presence of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline) and taste. Contrary to most rice
varieties having a high complex carbohydrate content, basmati has a low
glycaemic index (GI). This gives all of us a reason to not skip and
replace rice in our everyday meal. GI is a measure of quickly blood
sugar rises in the body after consuming a particular food. Rice in
general does have a high GI, however, the GI of basmati rice is between
50-55. Brown basmati rice has an even lower GI.

Brown basmati rice has the outer bran layer intact making it chewier and
also imparts a nutty flavour to it. White rice does not have the outer
bran layer and this makes it softer and stickier. Brown basmati is
packed with fibre that aids in smooth digestion and reduces the risk of
gastrointestinal issues. Basmati is loaded with amino acids, magnesium
and selenium. These aid in carbohydrate and protein metabolism. Selenium
helps in the proper functioning of the thyroid gland.

Basmati rice has many benefits to it. It is not only ideal for diabetes
and proper heart functioning, but also reduces the risk of cancer,
regulates blood pressure due to the good amount of magnesium and
potassium in it, and it is great to manage weight. Basmati rice has high
amount of amylose. Amylose is a resistant starch that promotes and
maintains weight loss, reduces postprandial insulinemia (high
concentration of insulin post eating), increases fat oxidation, lowers
fat storage in adipocytes and preserves lean body mass (Janine A.
Higgins, 2014). Presence of amylose in basmati keeps the rice grains
separate without sticking to one another. Furthermore, basmati is
enriched with vital nutrients such as iron, folic acid, thiamine and niacin.

We are home to a variety of rice strains suited to each climate,
geographical location, health conditions and more. Ayurveda also
recommends and stresses on eating locally sourced food. Pick the rice
that best suits you and eat everything in moderation. There is no reason
to give up on it and look for other sources. Generations of Indians have
eaten rice and built this strong and beautiful nation.
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