Rediffmail Money rediffGURUS BusinessEmail

EU adds rider to rice exports

August 20, 2004 14:15 IST

The European Union has recently introduced a condition on exporters to give a certificate with dispatches that they contain traditional Basmati rice to avail a rebate of 250 Euro per tonne, Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

EU will be sending only random samples to India for 'reconfirmatory tests' to prevent suspected adulteration, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said during Question Hour, adding such samples might be sent to India about five to six times annually.

Replying to questions, he said six varieties of Basmati rice are allowed duty-free entry into the EU and two more varieties - 'super' and 'pusa' - were likely to be added in the list soon.

Kamal Nath said traditional Basmati was recognised as a product of India and Pakistan and the varieties produced in the US were of "evolved" variety.

Government was engaged in negotiations under the General Agreements on Tariffs and Trade with the European nations for selling Basmati to the EU, he said.

WEB STORIES

Katrina Kaif's Top 10 Songs

13 Bengali Veg Dishes That Make You Go Bong Bong!

7 Wonderful Car-Free Places In The World

VIDEOS

NewsBusinessMoviesSportsCricketGet AheadDiscussionLabsMyPageVideosCompany Email