Hot potato: PepsiCo drops all suits against Gujarat farmers

AHMEDABAD: The controversial flurry of suits by US food and beverages giant PepsiCo against North Gujarat farmers, for growing a potato variety registered by it, ended on Friday with the company unconditionally withdrawing all cases from courts. The farmers termed PepsiCo Holdings India Pvt Ltd’s backing out a “day of victory” for all people directly or indirectly associated with agriculture.
The courts permitted PepsiCo to withdraw its suits after it said that it wanted to “rely on its discussions with the government to find a long-term and amicable solution to the issues surrounding seed protection”. It had sued four farmers from Sabrkantha district and claimed Rs 1.05 crore from each of them, for growing and selling the FL 2027 potato, which PepsiCo has trademarked as FC5 and uses to make its Lay’s chips.
News about the company dragging the farmers to court under the Protection of Plant Varieties & Farmers’ Rights Act was first published in TOI, on April 15. In response, farmer unions and activists took up the issue and pledged support to these farmers. Their requests to the government to intercede led to negotiations between the government and the company, which on May 2 announced that it would withdraw the cases against 11 farmers from Banaskantha, Sabarkantha and Aravalli districts. It withdrew its case against two farmers from Deesa on May 6.
The farmers called the company’s backing off a “victory for all farmers” and sought an apology from the company. They also said that the company should pay them a token compensation of Rs 1, for maligning them and branding them thieves. “PepsiCo should apologize to the entire farming community and pay us a token sum, which we will donate to a temple. We are large-hearted people. We do not want to keep the company’s money. If the token compensation is not given within a specific time frame, we will drag the company to the same court,” said Bipin Patel of Vadali village in Sabarkantha, who had been sued by the company.
The farmers said that they will continue to grow the same variety of potatoes. “However, many farmers are not interested in entering a contract with the company, for various reasons,” Patel said.
The farmers’ advocate Anand Yagnik said that if the company does not apologize and compensate the farmers for the ‘humiliation’, it would be sent a legal notice.
The lawyer also thanked the government for supporting the farmers, but said that the government should have taken the farmers into confidence and involved them in the negotiations. “The ultimate aim is to secure absolute rights over seeds for farmers, which are guaranteed under Section 39 of the VVP&FR Act,” the lawyer said.
Reacting to the development, Kapil Shah, convener of the Bij Adhikar Manch, said, “We still fear that there will be an attempt to amend the law. This was the first attempt by a corporate entity in India to attack farmers’ rights to seeds. PepsiCo must have realized its mistake and withdrew in time.”