OPINION

That is apparently what Charoen Pokphand Group subsidiary CPRAM Co Ltd hopes to achieve with four newly developed varieties of Thai holy basil, known as Kaewjuree 01-04. The company says the varieties offer a strong aroma, intense flavour and consistent yields for its ready-to-eat food production.

Their registration has sparked public concern that a company could gain control over a plant central to Thai cooking. But the protection applies to the four specific varieties, not to holy basil as a whole. Traditional varieties remain available for cultivation and sale, while commercial propagation of the protected varieties requires permission from the rights holder.

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