Vegetable sellers in Chiang Mai say they are not losing sleep over the uproar about CP Ram registering holy basil varieties, and every stall at the city’s biggest produce market was selling the stuff as usual.
CP Ram Co Ltd has applied for protection of four holy basil varieties, Kaew Churi 01, 02, 03 and 04. That set off worry among the public and farmers that a private company registering “holy basil” could make criminals of villagers who grow it or save seeds for the next season.
Our reporter went to Mueang Mai market, the main wholesale and retail hub for vegetables in the city, and found the traders shrugging it off. The basil on their tables, they said, is not one of the registered varieties, so nothing changes for them.
One vendor said the registered varieties were bred for the food industry and have nothing to do with the traditional local basil or other types sold in the market.
She added that people can still grow the four varieties to eat at home. What they cannot do, without permission, is breed them to sell seeds, seedlings or cuttings commercially.
