Bangkok - Thailand has applied with the European Union for geographical indication (GI) protection for jasmine rice from the Thung Kula Ronghai paddy-growing area, to become the "champagne" of Thai rice if granted, reports said Tuesday.

Puangrat Asavapisit, director-general of the Commerce Ministry's Intellectual Property Department, said the application process was about 50 per cent completed and the approval process would take another two years, the Bangkok Post newspaper said.

The GI system protects a product by certifying it comes from a certain area and has characteristics that cannot be replicated elsewhere, a famous example being Champagne, the region in France where the bubbly wine is made.

Thai Hom Mali rice, or jasmine rice, from the Thung Kula Ronghai area that covers 320,00 hectares, spreading over five provinces in north-east Thailand, is deemed the country's best-quality jasmine rice.

Jasmine, a distinctively-scented long-grain rice strain, fetches the highest prices in Thailand and abroad. Thailand is the world's largest rice exporter, but only a small percentage of its exports are jasmine rice, which is popular in Singapore, Hong Kong and China.

There are several hybrid copies of the jasmine rice strain grown elsewhere in Thailand and in neighbouring countries, but Thai authorities insist that the Thai Hom Mali is unique to the Thung Kula Ronghai area and deserves GI protection to guarantee its higher standards. (dpa)