PepsiCo Withdraws its Cases Against Nine Potato Farmers of Gujarat After State Government Intervenes

After facing severe backlash, snacks and beverages major PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt Ltd has decided to withdraw lawsuits it had filed against nine Gujarat based farmers for allegedly growing a potato variety called 'FL2077' which is owned by PepsiCo, reports Hindustan Times.

FL2077 was developed and registered as a protected strain under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmer's Rights Authority. Thus, the company had registered cases of infringement against four farmers on 5 April 2019 and against five others in 2018, demanding Rs 1 crore from each in damages.

The Gujarat government was involved in the parleys between the farmer groups and the company to settle the issue amicably. It was after the efforts from the state government that the company announced its agreement to the withdrawal of cases.

"We are relying on the said discussions to find a long term and amicable resolution of all issues around seed protection. The company remains deeply committed to the thousands of farmers we work with across the country and towards ensuring adoption of best farming practices," said the company in a statement.