Govt forms panel on basmati rice case

NEW DELHI, February 20: The government today acknowledged that the basmati patent taken by US agriculture firm Ricetec quot;was extremely broadbased and would have serious repercussions on research, development and marketing of ricequot;.

It belatedly swung into action forming an inter-ministerial group to fight the patent. The group comprises of representatives from ministries of industry, commerce, agriculture, as well as experts from Indian Council of Agriculture Research ICAR and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.

In its meeting yesterday, the group found that there was hardly anything novel in the new strain which warranted that it be granted a patent. Novelty is an essential element necessary for the grant of any patent.