PepsiCo has a potato issue with farmers

The dispute between PepsiCo and Gujarat farmer groups over growing a specific variety of potato has escalated nationally with farmer unions urging the central government to intervene in the matter.

The US multinational had sued nine farmers for alleged “rights infringement” by “illegally” dealing with its registered potato variety used in its Lays chips, and a commercial court in Ahmedabad will hear the case on Friday.

Accusing PepsiCo India of intimidating farmers, the farmers’ lobbies on Thursday approached the agriculture and farmers welfare ministry to put out a public statement upholding farmers’ rights under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act, 2001 and to direct PepsiCo India Holdings to withdraw the cases.

They expressed fear that more such litigations may come up against farmers. PepsiCo, though, said it “remains committed” to resolving the matter. “We took judicial recourse against people who were illegally dealing in our registered variety,” the company said in a statement issued on Thursday.

“This was done to protect our rights and safeguard the larger interest of farmers that are engaged with us and who are using and benefitting from seeds of our registered variety.” In its litigation filed earlier this month, PepsiCo had alleged that nine farmers in Gujarat were growing and selling a kind of potato exclusively registered by the company.

The commercial court had passed an ex-parte interim injunction against the farmers.

Farmer groups, including Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, Gujarat Khedut Samaj Jatan, Gujarat Association of Agricultural Science and Jatan Trust, have sought “immediate withdrawal” of all cases against potato farmers initiated by PepsiCo.

They have approached Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority chairperson KV Prabhu to issue a notification specifying that no company can trespass into a farmer’s field without due intimation of the local district agriculture office and the farmer’s prior informed consent. The unions have alleged that PepsiCo is making out infringement cases with its own interpretation of Section 64 of the PPV&FR Act.

“We are not letting this case go because it is about farmers and our biodiversity,” farmers’ rights activist Kapil Shah of Jatan Trust said. “Indian farmers cannot be intimidated by MNCs who have been introducing GM seeds to our fields. They have been altering the biodiversity of the region and for us; it is important that farmers retain the right to own the natural diversity,” he said.

Shah said Jatan Trust will provide legal aid to the farmers. “We need to organise and mobilise others to join the cause,” he told ET. “There has to be a campaign against PepsiCo. The law favours the farmers and we cannot sit quiet.” BKS vice-president Ambubhai Patel said the Act upholds the rights of small farmers.

“They do not have one source for seeds; they buy from independent agencies,” he said. “It is wrong to intimidate them and claim that they are potential threat to Pepsi-Co’s business.” Patel also said the claims of PepsiCo India that it holds exclusive rights on a potato variety are “completely untenable.”

Source:-https://retail.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/food-entertainment/grocery/pepsico-has-a-potato-issue-with-farmers/69051012