(Video) Rajya Sabha TV (RSTV) The Big Picture: Pepsico v/s Potato Farmers

Topic: Pepsico v/s Potato Farmers

Guest:

Vijaykant Mishra, (Chairman, Committee on Agri Business & Foods, PHD Chamber of Commerce)
Tajamul Haque, (Former Chairman, Commission for Agricultural Cost & Prices)
Jayesh K. Unnikrishnan, (Legal Advisor, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research)
Vinay Bhardwaj, (Head, Division of Crop Improvement, Central Potato Research Institute)
Anand Yagnik, (Advocate, Gujarat Farmers)

Topic Description:

A variety of potatoes developed by FMCG giant Pepsico’s India division has triggered a patent-infringement battle in the country. The snacks and beverages major has sued a few farmers in Gujarat for growing potatoes which the company uses to make its Lay’s chips. The MNC has sought Rs 1 crore each from four farmers for cultivating the FC5 potato variety. In an Ahmedabad commercial court, the company claimed it is the registered breeder of FC5 under India’s Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act. PepsiCo has been developing and registering a variety of potatoes in India since the production of Lay’s took a hit in 2008. The overall supply of potatoes was hit that year due to crop failure in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Punjab. The company currently works with 24,000 farmers across the country in states like West Bengal, Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Haryana, and Chhattisgarh. On this edition of the big picture we will take a closer look at the potato conundrum.