Manas Dasgupta
Ahmedabad, May 6
Food and beverages multinational PepsiCo India has unconditionally withdrawn the cases it had filed against two potato growers of Deesa in Banaskantha district of north Gujarat.
According to a spokesman for the company, their advocate informed the Gujarat High Court that the firm was withdrawing cases against the two Deesa farmers unconditionally. Phoolchand, one of the affected farmers, also confirmed that the company had withdrawn the case against him.
The firm had filed cases against Gujarat farmers for alleged unauthorised production and sale of FC5 variety of potato for which it claimed to have obtained a patent. The variety is used for manufacturing Lay’s chips. The case had gone to the High Court after the company disputed the Deesa court’s order appointing a court commissioner to inspect fields of the defendant for the disputed product.
The company urged the High Court that it should also order inspection of cold storage facilities and warehouses where the produce might have been stored.
The withdrawal of cases was in keeping with the assurance the company had given to the state government that it would gradually withdraw all cases against Gujarat farmers.
The company had told state Chief Secretary JN Singh that it would withdraw cases as and when it came up in courts. In all, the company has filed cases against 11 farmers in Gujarat.
The assurance was given after the issue caught national attention and many farmer organisations and activists rushed to the aid of the four farmers of Vadali village in Sabarkantha district, also in north Gujarat, who were slapped compensation demand of over Rs 1 crore each last month. The case against the four was filed in the Ahmedabad commercial court that fixed June 12 as the next date of hearing.
FC5 Production
- PepsiCo India had filed cases against Gujarat farmers for alleged unauthorised production and sale of FC5 variety of potato for which it claimed to have obtained a patent
- The unconditional withdrawal of cases is in keeping with the firm’s assurance to the state government that it will gradually withdraw all cases against Gujarat farmers
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2VJ48tj
via Today’s News Headlines
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