UK’s New CoP for Basmati Rice [UPSC Current Affairs]

Controversy has arisen over an amendment made by the United Kingdom to the code of practice (CoP) for basmati rice, which aims to ensure its quality for consumers in the UK. While the All India Rice Exporters Association (AIREA) believes the change could benefit India, experts have criticized the UK for diluting the area of cultivation and questioning the credibility of the Seed Act, 1966.

In this context, it is important to know what is the CoP for Basmatic Rice and how the changes made will affect Indian exports. This topic is relevant for the IAS exam economy segment.

UK’s CoP for Basmati Rice

• The CoP was originally introduced in 2005 by the UK Rice Association (UKRA), along with the British Rice Millers Association and British Retail Consortium, to safeguard the reputation of basmati rice marketed in the UK. 
• The code was created in response to allegations that imported basmati rice was 50% impure several decades ago. 
• It specifies that basmati “could be no more than 7% impure” and lists 15 permitted varieties, including nine traditional and six modern cultivars.

UK New CoP for Basmati Rice (Amendments)

• The CoP was implemented through DNA fingerprinting developed by Bangor University in Wales, which worked well until 2017 when the code was updated to include 25 new modern cultivars. 
• Experts from the university stated that the update followed an explosion in new breeding in the 2000s and 2010s. 
• The alternative DNA markers developed by Bangor University for fingerprinting showed that six of the new varieties, five from India and one from Pakistan, were not properly bred for fragrance. 
• As a result, these six varieties have been de-notified or taken off the list of basmati varieties.

Expert opinion:

• Expert S Chandrasekaran, author of “Basmati Rice: The Natural History Geographical Indication,” argues that DNA marking is a new invention by the British and its efficiency is yet to be proven. 
• It is noteworthy that the British Rice Millers Association is no longer a part of the amended code.

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