India has asked European Union to provide it the DNA protocol of Basmati submitted by Pakistan with a view to arrive at a common global protocol for the commodity.

"We have requested the European Commission to provide us the protocol submitted by Pakistan so that we can have a common one," as per an official from Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority.

New Delhi wants a common protocol as the commodity is geographically grown only in India and Pakistan and EU's verification system will have to base on a uniform protocol to avoid confusion.

India had recently submitted the protocol for Basmati rice to European Union which is aimed at preventing any fraudulant exports of the variety to latter.

The protocol once implemented will help the European authorities to distinguish between Basmati and non-Basmati varieties to levy tariff.

Basmati rice enjoys zero per cent import duty in European Union. EU will have to develop their own verification methods based on the common protocol.

India's Basmati DNA protocol has been developed by Centre for DNA Finger Printing and Diagnostics in Hyderabad and is the only one of the institute for conducting such high-end research.

EU which extends duty concessions to brown Basmati rice had introduced a new rice import regime in September 2004. Country's annual Basmati exports are estimated at 700,000 MT to 800,000 MT.

Source: PTI

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