India’s Right to First Claim Over Basmati

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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.