Also known as region’s “scented pearl” long-grain rice experiencing growing demand in US and Europe.

In a blow to India’s aspirations for claiming the ownership of basmati rice, Australia and New Zealand have recognised the precious long-grain commodity as a Pakistani product.

The move comes against the backdrop of New Delhi’s push for basmati rice to be granted protected status in global markets as a uniquely Indian product — a move met with vehement opposition from Pakistan, which claims the rice is part of a shared heritage between the two countries.
India, in December 2024, approached the European Court of Justice after the European Union rejected India’s application to access the Annexures attached to Pakistan’s application for protected Geographical Indication (PGI).

Despite the commodity’s growing demand in the United States and Europe, as reported by The Washington Post, its origins have never been more divisive or its future more uncertain.

Basmati rice is deeply rooted in the Punjab region, which today is divided between Pakistan and India. Early forms may have been cultivated here as long as 2,000 years ago, archaeologists have found; written references to the rice appear as early as the 16th century when the Mughal Empire ruled over much of the Indian subcontinent.

From the start, India and Pakistan quarrelled over who had the best basmati, and who had rightful claim to the name. In the 1965 Indo-Pakistani war, Pakistani farmers claimed that Indian soldiers had stolen their seeds.

New Delhi’s global efforts to enshrine its ownership of basmati have largely stalled.

While an Indian case in the EU is pending, Australia and New Zealand have rejected similar legal claims.

Published Date: February 18, 2025