Pakistan raised strong concerns over the Basmati Rice Trade Issue and ethanol exports during talks with the European Parliament’s Development Committee. Notably, The two major producers of basmati rice, India & Pakistan, are now raising disputes over the trademark protection for basmati rice. The dispute over the protected status of basmati rice is gradually adding to tensions between India and Pakistan. In this context, the commerce minister of Pakistan Jam Kamal Khan urged the EU to restore duty concessions on ethanol and resolve delays in the Geographical Indication (GI) registration for Basmati rice.
Highlighting the fact that how ethanol exports and Basmati Rice trade issue is directly affecting millions of farmers in Pakistan as well as the economy of Pakistan the Commerce Ministry of Pakistan urged the European Union to resolve delays as early as possible. The meeting was attended by senior EU members from Austria, Spain, Germany, Poland, and Czechia. Jam Kamal stressed that removing ethanol concessions under the GSP+ scheme had badly hurt Pakistan’s rural economy. The minister further emphasized on the importance of agriculture for Pakistan’s economy.
Notably, the GSP+ scheme grants Pakistan duty-free access to the EU market for most exports in exchange for progress on human rights, labor protections, environmental commitments and governance reforms. The EU is Pakistan’s largest export destination, particularly for textiles, leather, ethanol and agri-food products.
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