Biodiversity campaigners are bombarding a Texas company with postcards urging
it to abandon its recently granted patent (US 5 663 484) on genetically modified
rice. RiceTec鈥檚 patent, entitled 鈥淏asmati rice lines and grains鈥�, claims that
its novel strains produce rice 鈥渟imilar or superior to those of good quality
basmati rice grains鈥�.
Growers in Asia are outraged by the appropriation of the name 鈥渂asmati鈥�. They
fear having to pay royalties on traditional crops if they become crossed with
the new strains. The protesters are urging Prince Hans Adam II of Liechtenstein,
the chairman of RiceTec鈥檚 parent company, to correct this 鈥済rave injustice鈥�.
