National

PepsiCo withdraws lawsuit against four Gujarat potato farmers: spokesman

Facing increasing pressure, food and beverages giant PepsiCo on Thursday said it has withdrawn the case it filed against nine Gujarat farmers for growing a potato variety which it claimed was its registered product.

migrator

New Delhi

“After discussions with the government, the company has agreed to withdraw the cases against the farmers,” said the spokesman.

"To safeguard the larger interest of farmers, PepsiCo India was compelled to take judicial recourse to protect its registered variety. PepsiCo from the very start had also offered an amicable settlement to farmers. After discussions with the government, the company has agreed to withdraw cases against farmers...," the company said in a statement.

PepsiCo had sued the nine farmers of Sabarkantha and Aravalli districts of north Gujarat for allegedly growing the FL2027 or FC5 variety of potatoes for which it has claimed Plant Variety Protection (PVP) rights.

It held that it obtained PVP rights over the potato variety under the Protection of Plant Variety and Farmers Right (PPVFR) Act, 2001 and that the farmers were violating its rights over the seed variety.

(With inputs from IANS)

Visit news.dtnext.in to explore our interactive epaper!

Download the DT Next app for more exciting features!

Click here for iOS

Click here for Android

Also Read

NDA re-entry row: No denial or acceptance, TTV Dhinakaran buys time

Edappadi's 3 poll promises to cost over Rs 38,000 cr annually

LoP pasting AIADMK stickers on our flagship schemes, flays Regupathy

Murugan flays DMK's illusions, yet backs EPS's welfare splurge

PM Modi lauds Namakkal youth for reflections on Kashi Tamil Sangamam