Miniket, a variety of rice or a brand?

https://businesspostbd.com/post/26159

M S Siddiqui

01 Sep 2021 00:53:01 | Update: 01 Sep 2021 00:53:01

Almost 90 per cent of the population of Bangladesh consume rice as their

staple food. Mostly available and consumed rice varieties of Bangladesh in

recent time are Basmati, Kalijira, Miniket, BINA, BRRI, IRRI, Balam etc.

Rice provides major portion of daily caloric requirement. In the recent time, a

debate has been surfaced whether Miniket is a variety of rice produced in

Bangladesh. In fact, it is a polished version of coarse rice like BRRI-28, BRRI-

29 and BR-23. It has been considered a branding of an agricultural product.

The question arises whether rice can be branded under any other name.

The total rice production of Bangladesh is mostly dependent on the mega varieties

like BRRI dhan28, BRRI dhan29 and BR11. A certain percentage like 6-8 per cent

is coming from hybrid rice varieties. These rice varieties are not fine or so-called

premium type. In fact, all these coarse rices have to undergo over polishing to

change their shape and size. The coarse rice is polished to slender and tasty rice.

When the coarse rice is polished to a slim looking one, it is supposed to lose the

majority of the essential elements mentioned above and fibre essential for the

human nutrition and development.

Miniket is now a popular brand name of a kind of slender and glossy husked rice is

available everywhere in Bangladesh. It is a popular notion that the brand of rice

Miniket comes from the milling of a rice variety cultivated in the same name

although there was no registered variety nor a local race (Deshi jat) one is available

in Bangladesh.

The name most probably derived from a synthesised dialect from the words mini

(small) and kit (a set of supplies for a specific purpose). It is a parboiled rice, quite

famous and staple rice in Bangladesh. This rice variety is totally white in color,

thin, and long in size with a little bit of round lower edge and pointy head. Miniket

rice developed by traders through over polish coarse rice like BRRI-28, BRRI-29

and BR-23. Such polishing destroys the nutritional values of rice.

The byproduct of rice powder what they are getting after polishing is used as

animal feed. The millers are selling Miniket at higher price also sell residue rice

powder as poultry feed. The millers are driven by the test and choice of

Bangladesh consumers as they now like shiny, white and tasty rice. The consumers

in Bangladesh once satisfied with the coarse rice having higher nutritional value.

Interestingly in contrast, the highest-priced large-volume world market is for the

traditional high quality indica, long-grain, raw milled rice. This market handles

about one fourth of all export-traded rice and generates an even higher percentage

of income because of lucrative prices.

The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice

destroys 67 per cent of the vitamin B3, 80 per cent of the vitamin B1, 90 per cent

of the vitamin B6, 50 per cent of the manganese and phosphorus, 60 per cent of

the iron and all of the dietary fibre and essential fatty acids. Fibre has been

involved in the prevention of major diseases such as gastrointestinal and heart

diseases. The essential oils in the bran have also been found to prevent heart

diseases because these decrease serum cholesterol, which is a major risk factor in

heart disease. The polished rice is exclusively inferior to the unpolished one in

terms of nutrition. They do not have the brown coat. The millers are trying to

satisfy their consumers. These traders enjoy higher value addition and present the

Miniket variety with the marketing mix, such as pricing, distribution, and branding

etc.

The food value chains are being transformed worldwide, given changing

consumption patterns and the increasing insistence on food quality and safety

(World Bank 2007). In a recent study, it has been found that in last three decades,

an important change in quality, as measured through differential varietal choices,

in the rice market of Dhaka, in particular, an important decline of the less

expensive coarse rice. The study further finds a doubling of the premium paid for

the fine rice over the past three decades. It thus seems that the role of rice as only a

cheap staple food is being redefined and consumers are ready pay more for their

choices. In few decade consumers are now paying doubling of the premium paid

for the fine rice over the past three decades. It thus seems that the role of rice as

only a cheap staple food is being redefined, even in these poor settings.

In another study, the most widespread distinction found in the rice sector in

Bangladesh relates to the shape and size of the kernel. The coarser the grain, the

wider or fatter it is (relative to the length). Coarse rice grains used in Bangladesh

have a width of more than 2 millimeters. This compares with 1.7 to 2.0 millimeters

for medium rice and less than 1.7 millimeters for fine rice. The attributes that

define the quality of rice most preferred by consumers are physical appearance,

transparency, milling, degree of processing (whiteness), percent of brokenness,

aroma, texture, and nutritional quality, these are often difficult to measure

objectively. The attributes least preferred by consumers were price, impurities

(presence of foreign matter) and the source of rice.

Rice is an agricultural products and different grade of rice are recorded with the

agricultural department. There is no brand or trade registration of any grade of rice.

Rice brands are Geographical Indication (GI) product and belong to people of a

region or country under community ownership. One individual person or company

cannot patent or register rice as GI product.

There is an exceptional case with Basmati rich. Basmati is a rice variety of South

Asia and mostly cultivated in Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and also in Thailand. But

one American firm Rice-tech has got Basmati registered with the United States

Patent office as its own product under the trade mark, Jasmati and Kasmati. The

government of Pakistan raised the issue in the US Court and claimed that

Basmatiis a GI product and cannot be patented in favor of any company. The

committee to plead Pakistan's case is headed by Federal Secretary of Agriculture

Dr. Zafar Altaf, Dr. Mohd. Akbar of National Agriculture Research Center, and

Dr. Abdul Majid former Director, Rice Research Institute. Finally, US government

withdrown the patent of Basmatiissued in favor of Rice-tech.

It may be mentioned here that USA does not have any Geographical Indication

law. Bangladesh passed the Geographical Indications of goods (registration and

protection) act 2013. Rice is considered as GI product and any variety of rice only

be registered as GI products under community ownership or agricultural

department of the government. Miniket may be branded for marketing by any

company but cannot claim this as local variety of rich. It cannot be registered under

patent act. The fate of Miniket is depends upon teste and demand of the

consumers.

The writer is a legal economist