Word: rice
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Indian farmers believe the U.S. patent was intended to restrict American imports of their basmati rice and boost sales of RiceTec's products, which are sold under names like Texmati and Kasmati. RiceTec denies those claims and says it developed its rice for "American tastes." Indian basmati is a more delicate grain and has a stronger flavor than the shorter-grained Texmati. Still, Indian politicians have called for an international trademark on basmati that would restrict use of the label to rice that comes from the foothills of the Himalayas...
Thailand, too, has asked the WTO for trademark protection for its famed variety of jasmine rice--the bright white, popcorn-flavored staple served in many Asian-cuisine restaurants. Thai farmers fear that a strain of the rice being developed for American climes by plant geneticist Chris Deren at the University of Florida will significantly cut into the $300 million worth of jasmine rice sold each year...
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has threatened to sue Deren and has complained to President Bush. In September, Thai rice farmers marched on the U.S. embassy in Bangkok. Deren even received an e-mail that he says "felt threatening" from an organization urging protest against his research. (It included his home address and phone number.) American companies are already expressing interest in commercializing Deren's strain. And RiceTec sells its own brand, called Jasmati...
...though, the French idea is catching on worldwide, as the latest tool of those who would protect their regional agriculture and aquaculture from competition. Audacious producers are claiming virtual trademarks on everything from catfish, herring and scallops to certain varieties of rice and onions...
...declaring that only bottom feeders raised in the U.S. could be sold as catfish. Legislation to make the ban permanent passed the Senate in December and is pending in the House. The measure was specifically aimed at competition from Vietnamese farmers who raise a variety of catfish in flooded rice paddies and sell them for attractive prices: about $4.00 a kilo wholesale, vs. $5.60 for U.S.-farmed catfish. Called basa, the Vietnamese fish account for about 20% of catfish fillets sold in the U.S., up from 7% in 1997. "These fish are being pawned off as catfish to unsuspecting American...