Shivraj Singh Chouhan writes to PM over APEDA's move on basmati rice issue

BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has expressed dismay over Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority's appeal against the decision of Geographic Indication, Chennai to accept Madhya Pradesh as a 'basmati' rice cultivating area.

Chouhan, in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, yesterday said that the state government and farmers' bodies had presented before Geographic Indication, Chennai, numerous authentic and indisputable historic documents and laboratory reports to prove that Madhya Pradesh has been traditionally growing basmati rice variety for over a century.

The quality of basmati rice grown in Madhya Pradesh is as good as, if not superior to, basmati grown in northern India, he said in the letter.

It seems that APEDA, which has the mandate of promoting export of agriculture produce, has "succumbed to certain vested interests of northern India," he said.

"Acting against its own mandate and under bogey of WTO and international courts, it has filed an appeal against GI order dated December 31, 2013, thereby hurting the legal and legitimate rights of Madhya Pradesh's farmers," Chouhan said.

"It implies that APEDA has apparently no objection to basmati rice grown in Pakistan but has definite objection to include Madhya Pradesh as basmati cultivation area," he said. in the letter.

Chouhan urged the Prime Minister to immediately intervene in the matter and direct APEDA to accept the GI Chennai's order dated December 31, 2013 in letter and spirit.

The chief minister said he would like to emphasise that his government will continue to press for the interests and rights of state's basmati farmers.

He also wrote similar letters to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Union Commerce and Industries Minister Anand Sharma.