Question

Which variety of rice was patented by a U.S. company even though the highest number of varieties of this rice are found in India?
A)Sharbati Sonora
B)Co-667
C)Basmati
D)Lema Rojo

Answer 1

Hint: Rice is the staple and most consuming food of Indian subcontinent. India had been observed to possess more than 100000 species of rice till 1970. India is the second largest producer of rice, the first being China. Few famous rice varieties in India include PUSA basmati rice, fragrant biryani rice, basmati rice etc.

Complete answer:
To answer this question let us discuss the options given in the question:
Sharbati Sonora : Sharbati Sonora It is defined as a variety of wheat which is considered one of the finest varieties of wheat. It is generated in India.
Co-667 : This is a variety of soybean. It is usually defined as a high yielding variety and contains other added nutrients.
Basmati : It is defined as a variety of long, slender rice which has aroma. It traditionally originated from Indian subcontinent. Basmati is usually native to India and Pakistan. India exports around 65% of basmati rice. In India, this variety is mainly produced in states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir. In 1997, RiceTec, which is an American company, was granted US PATENT for basmati rice
Lema Rojo : Lerma Rojo is defined as a dwarf variety of wheat. It was established to India from Mexico. This variety possesses genes for dwarfism and gives high yield.

Hence, the correct answer is option (C)

Note: After the claim and the report, the patent was cancelled and Ricetec had to instantly withdraw all the claims for the patent and the rights to call their product Basmati. A limited patent was provided to their three varieties of rice which was developed by their company.