Question

A “new” variety of rice was patented by a foreign company, though such varieties have been present in India for a long time. This is related to
A) Lerma Rojo
B) Co-667
C) Basmati
D) Sharbati Sonora

Answer 1

Rice is the staple food of Indian subcontinent. India had more than 100000 species of rice till 1970. India is the second largest producer of rice after China. Few famous rice varieties in India are PUSA basmati rice, fragrant biryani rice, basmati rice etc.

Complete answer:
To answer this question let's discuss the options

Lerma Rojo- Lerma Rojo is a dwarf variety of wheat. It was brought to India from Mexico. This variety carries genes for dwarfism and gives high yield.
C0-667- is a variety of soybean. It is a high yielding variety and contains other added nutrients.
Basmati- It is a variety of long, slender rice which has aroma. It is traditionally from Indian subcontinent. Basmati is native to India and Pakistan. India exports around 65%. In India, this variety is mainly produced in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir. In 1997, Ricetec, an American company, was granted US PATENT for basmati rice line and grains. This company was charged over biopiracy.
Sharbati Sonora It is a variety of wheat which is considered one of the finest varieties of wheat. It is produced in India.

Thus the correct answer is (C).

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