All for a bowl of rice

By Shirish Joshi

BASMATI, a long grain aromatic variety of rice, called the prince of rice, grows in the Indian subcontinent. And the best basmati rice grows in the village named Majra near Dehra Dun in Uttar Pradesh. Rice researchers in the USA have developed many varieties of rice called texmati and kasmati, which are similar to the Indian basmati. They are aromatic but do not elongate much. The names tell the buyers that it is grown in Texas and Arkansas.

India has now become a major player in the international rice market. Some Indian companies have captured the world market for basmati rice with their brand names.

These brands have become household names in the Middle East, Europe and US. Our westerly neighbour is the only competitor we have. Insistence on quality has enabled Indian basmati to enjoy a definite edge over the American texmati or kasmati. Indian basmati rice fetches a higher price of about US $ 900 per tonnes when compared to $ 350 for American rice. The value of exports exceeds Rs 1,000 crore annually and is increasing every year.

This bonanza is threatened indirectly by a patent given to a US company, Ricetec, for a new strain of rice that it claims is basmati rice. According to the patentee, they developed a new variety of basmati in July 1990. This can be grown in the USA or the Caribbean islands. It has all the possible characteristics of basmati but, at the same time it will be an improvement in terms of less chalky grains, a higher yield, and more resistance to pests and diseases.

As in the case of Turmeric and Neem patent, India must fight this. Thanks to World Trade Organisation (WTO), and a clause of the international treaty on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), a fight is not only possible but can also be won. The case would have been decided promptly in India’s favour, had we enacted the geographical appellation law to facilitate the use of WTO protection.

Earlier the company sold aromatic rice similar to basmati under the names texmati and kasmati. The company admits that the best aromatic long grain rice basmati is imported from India and Pakistan. It is believed that the climate and soil in these countries is admirably suitable for its cultivation.

India protested that basmati rice was a geographical indication of rice produced in India and Pakistan just as champagne relates to sparkling wine from the Champagne district of France, or feta cheese is goat cheese from Greece. A lot of champagne is made in France from the chardonnay variety of grapes. If chardonnay grapes are made into sparkling wine in India (It is being done by one wine-maker in Maharashtra), the product can not be called Champagne. Even if Indian grape growers develop a new variety of chardonnay, wine made from it can not be called champagne.

India needs to argue along the same lines. No new variety of rice can be called basmati. The issue is that Ricetec wants to call the variety developed by them as basmati. India should call it as a violation of geographical indication. If Ricetec called its variety as aromatic long grain rice, let them call it so. It does not affect the cultivation and export of basmati rice grown in India and Pakistan. The strength of the Indian claim should rest on geography.

According to patent law, they are only valid for 20 years. But geographical rights are valid for ever. India must contest the case on geographical grounds. Let Ricetec call its variety any thing except basmati.

According to Suman Sahai, a geneticist, challenging the patent is a wrong strategy and a great waste of money. India can not keep on doing this every time an Indian Plant variety gets patented in the USA, where plants can be patented. There will be no end. Today, it happens to be basmati rice but tomorrow, India’s rare medicinal herbs such as Brahmi and ashwagandha can be the target. Unless developing countries unite and fight such attempts, America and its allies will try to dominate the world economic order.

Rice probably originated from wild species of grass that grew along the shores of lakes in Africa, India, China or Southeastern Asia. There is a legend that it first came to China during a time of famine. A young girl went fishing and caught the king of the frogs. The king frog told her to hold out her net to the sun while he croaked a magic song. As the golden light fell through the meshes of the net, it was changed to golden grains.

Legend apart, historians have the origin of rice cultivation to India and China, where it has been cultivated for more than 6,500 years. From there it spread in all directions to Japan, the Philippines, Persia, and Egypt. It rivalled other grains, such as wheat, barley, and millets in popularity. Needing abundant water and sunshine, rice grows best in places of heavy monsoon rainfall or where irrigation facilities exist.

When Alexander the Great conquered Babylonia and India in the 4th century B.C. he found rice being cultivated along the banks of the Tigris, Euphrates and Indus rivers. Rice was first grown in Europe in Italy in the 15th century, and was introduced into North America in the 17th century.

There are many varieties of rice. The number of varieties of the cultivated rice plant is staggering. In India alone there exist more than 8,000 varieties, and in the Philippines there are more than 3,500 of them. For many years South Carolina State was the leading rice-growing state in the USA. Today, however, Arkansas, Texas, California, and Louisiana each produce rice in large quantities.

Rice is classified according to its size. Long grain rice is any rice that is at least four times longer than it is wide. This includes basmati from the Indian sub-continent, Jasmine rice, red rice and black rice from Thailand. The kalijira variety, with grains the size of sesame (til) seed from India is called baby basmati.

Alzheimer’s disease

By J.G. Jolly

FORGETFULNESS appears to be a common feature among the elderly but when it is noted at a comparatively younger age or is associated with certain other characteristics, it requires careful review. Such a situation is invariably due to Alzheimer’s Disease. This condition was reported for the first time by Dr Alois Alzheimers, a German scientist, during the earlier part of the 20th century. He termed it as a progressive and degenerative condition of the brain. Besides dementia, he observed, there is definite loss of intellectual potential.

In addition to memory loss, there is definite evidence of impaired thinking and behaviour. The process is invariably gradual and is often associated with the loss of the individual’s ability to care for themselves. Among the common symptoms are memory loss affecting job skills, difficulty in performing familiar tasks, problems with language, disorientation in time or place, poor judgement, problems with abstract thinking, the tendency to misplace things, changes in mood or behaviour and change in personality and loss of initiative.

The widespread illness is not, as some might assume, a routine byproduct of aging, afflicting only the very old. On the contrary many people live to advanced ages without developing the disease. Others experience symptoms in their forties or fifties. Nor is simple forgetfulness the only impairment. Alzheimer’s is considered to be a specific disease of the brain that is both progressive and degenerative.

Alzheimer’s disease is not only a debilitating affliction but it is also one of the most common ailments among the elderly, of either sex. One in 10 persons over the age of 65 develops this illness, according to the Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Association of United States. For those over 85, the incidence approaches 50 per cent. With a growing world population and people living longer, the number of people with the disease could increase considerably during the next century.

While Alzheimer’s disease knows no geographical boundaries, it affects more people in industrialised nations than in developing ones. Since this disease is most common in men and women over the age of 80, countries where the population enjoys the longest average life spans are most vulnerable. The disease gained importance in the USA when it was discovered that the then President Ronald Reagan was also afflicted by it.

The impact of the disease is felt far beyond its direct victims. Because its symptoms are so profound, the disease can devastate the lives of those closest to the patient. In effect, spouses and other members of the family also indirectly become victims. In a way, the situation is much worse for close relatives of the patient than for the individual involved. Since those suffering from advanced Alzheimer’s are unable to care for themselves, the strain is on the family members. The latter find themselves in a dilemma while attending to the diseased. This can result in enormous hardship.

Alzheimer’s victims may lash out at those around them as they experience bouts of anxiety, depression and agitation. Relationships of a lifetime may end in emotional confrontations.

Genetic research offers the promise that the medical community may be able to identify those likely to develop Alzheimer’s before they actually show symptoms. By careful evaluation of symptomology and timely medication we might be able to delay the appearance of the disease in many people.

Since a major result of Alzheimer’s is the death of large number of brain cells, researchers are experimenting with ways to keep the cells alive and functioning and thus slow down the progression of the disease. Some studies are focusing on the use of nicotine patches for this purpose. Other researchers suggest that drugs inhibiting oxidation may have a positive impact and that estrogen replacement therapy can reduce memory loss in female patients. Noting that women who take estrogen during or after menopause are less likely to have Alzheimer’s, researchers postulate that the hormone protects nerve cells and helps them communicate more effectively.

New genetic screening techniques can potentially identify a person’s predisposition to the illness. Scientists have been able to restore a key chemical in the brain which is severely deficient in sufferers of Alzheimer’s. One researcher theorises that developing strong reading and writing skills may strengthen the brain in the same way that physical exercise builds up the body, thus rendering it less susceptible to dementia. Still other research focuses on environmental factors, gene-testing and patient care alternatives.

In our country there is hardly any study which can provide material on the subject scientifically. However, practicing clinicians, especially family physicians, have found an increasing incidence of the Alzheimer’s in India during the recent years. This is due to the improved longevity over the years. It is essential to make a serious efforts to investigate the problem in a planned manner. We should be able to focus on the disease in our set-up and suggest ways and means to tackle it.

This will require not only therapeutic management but also appropriate social and environmental programmes for senior citizens.