Steam rises as India and Pakistan take basmati battle to EU

LAHORE, Pakistan — From biryani to pilau, Pakistan and India's shared culinary landscape is defined by basmati, a distinctive long-grain rice now at the centre of the latest tussle between the bitter rivals. India has applied for an exclusive trademark that would grant it sole ownership of the basmati title in the European Union, setting off a dispute that could deal a major blow to Pakistan's position in a vital export market. "It's like dropping an atomic bomb on us," said Ghulam Murtaza, co-owner of Al-Barkat Rice Mills just south of Lahore, Pakistan's second-largest city. Pakistan immediately opposed India's move to gain Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) from the European Commission. India is the largest rice exporter in the world, netting $6.8 billion in annual earnings, with Pakistan in fourth position at $2.2 billion, according to UN figures. The two countries are the only global exporters of basmati. "(India) has caused all this fuss over there so they can somehow ...