Thailand presses EU for jasmine rice protection

By Martin Vaughan

JAKARTA (MarketWatch) -- Thailand is stepping up its demands that the European Union grant Thai rice growers the exclusive ability to market their product in Europe as jasmine rice.

Thailand pressed its case with EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht during meetings here this week, a Thai government official told Dow Jones, and Thai officials will travel to European capitals later this month to argue that rice producers outside of Thailand should be prevented from using the term "jasmine rice," or "khao hom mali," on packaging in EU markets.

"We asked for the support of the commissioner," Deputy Minister of Commerce Alongkorn Ponlaboot said in a brief interview on the sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He said the term jasmine rice should be protected, just as products like Bordeaux wine and German gluhwein are protected in Europe.

Thailand applied with the EU in 2008 to register khao hom mali as a unique geographic trademark, but its petition has met resistance from countries including France, the U.K., and the Netherlands.

Alongkorn said Thailand also pressed the EU for negotiations to begin this year on a bilateral free trade agreement. The EU is already negotiating separate deals with Singapore and Malaysia, and De Gucht said the bloc could pursue several more with Southeast Asian countries.

(Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/thailand-presses-eu-for-jasmine-rice-protection-2011-05-07)