Asserting that the recent order of the Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) directing the Geographical Indications Registry to proceed with registration of a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Basmati rice according to the geographical demarcation conducted by the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) is unscientific and erroneous, Madhya Pradesh has approached the Madras High Court to quash the order and direct the registry to hear the matter afresh.
The appeal moved by the Additional Director of Agriculture, Department of Farmer Welfare and Agriculture Development of Madhya Pradesh, claimed that if the order is implemented, it would cause irreparable damage to the State and its 80,000 Basmati farmers.
On February 5, the IPAB had directed the Assistant Registrar of the Geographical Registry, Chennai to proceed with the registration of a GI tag for Basmati rice grown in seven States, including Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
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The IPAB had also directed the registry to examine afresh Madhya Pradesh’s request to include certain parts of the State in the list of Basmati-growing areas within six months. Assailing the order, Madhya Pradesh contended that based on the ‘unscientific demarcation’ submitted by APEDA, the IPAB has classified entire States as Basmati growing.
It also contended that this issue of ‘unscientific demarcation’ cannot be raised in the proceedings before the Assistant Registrar of GI and can only be raised before the court as a consequence of the impugned order.
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(With inputs from Vasanth Srinivasan)