International scientific workshop on plant authentication methods of Basmati rice

Basmati rice represents a small but superior group of rice which is distinguished by quality traits like aroma and grain length. In the European Union (EU) the highly valued Basmati accounts for 30% of the total rice import, i.e. around 300.000 tons per year.

According to two agreements concluded in August 2004 between the EU and India and Pakistan, nine Basmati rice varieties can be imported as brown rice into the EU at a zero import duty. The agreements also foresee the creation of a Community control system based on DNA analysis to monitor the rice imports. The control system should be developed by the EU in active collaboration with India and Pakistan.

This workshop was organized by the Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements (IRMM) of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) on behalf of the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI).

The aim of this workshop was to consult with experts in the relevant special scientific fields about the different aspects which should be considered in the development and validation of methods for the authentication of eligible varieties of Basmati rice in imports.

Another aim was to get an update of the status (development stage and validation status) of different methodological approaches which might be used for plant and more in particular Basmati rice authentication. Therefore recognized experts from different relevant scientific areas and with particular specialisation (plant breeding, genetics, metabolomics and authentication) were invited to participate.