Basmati Festival To Highlight Areas Growing Aromatic Rice

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has urged the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) and the Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (REAP) to organize a basmati festival to highlight the geographical identification (GI) areas and those areas omitted inadvertently by the authority. TDAP needs to reopen the chapter of GI and revisit and review the GI to include the omitted basmati growing areas at the international forum.

President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver stressed the need for highlighting the fact that basmati is grown in many areas of the country and the Indian concept of narrowing the areas for Pakistan is wrong. India has identified areas in its own country stretching it fully but where Pakistani areas were concerned it identified it deliberately by excluding traditionally actual basmati growing areas. This narrow minded approach of India has perturbed many basmati growers of Pakistan and they are surprised that TDAP and REAP are silent on the issue and not advocating their cause.

To patch up the matter and redress the grievance he suggested that TDAP should now hold a basmati festival and invite buyers from the world and exhibit our basmati grains grown in different areas.Pakistan grows basmati and super basmati which is aromatic and elongates on cooking, it is tasty and liked and appreciated for making biryani, pullow, sweet dishes and in different countries of the world they make their traditional dishes in Pakistani basmati rice.

A basmati exhibition of grains and basmati prepared dishes will highlight the rice grains of different areas in Pakistan and will enable the stakeholders to show our basmati rice which is really tasty and fragrant. TDAP should invite growers representatives from every area of Pakistan and arrange and organize dishes made from basmati for the visitors and seek the help of the media to propagate our lovely quality grains to all.

The exhibition in festival style would also give an opportunity to the rice exporters to exhibit their brands and build their brand image he concluded.

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