Farmer bodies say Gujarat siding with PepsiCo on potato, warn of protests

Farmers' rights groups have warned of more protests against US food and beverage giant PepsiCo if reported talks between the company and the Gujarat government over potato farming is finalised.

The rights bodies said the state should not suggest farmers which seeds to use and which seeds they should not. Instead, the government should protect their interests as detailed in the Plant Variety Protection Rights Act, they said.

The rights bodies said the state should not persuade the farmers to stop using patented seed FL 2027, which PepsiCo sells under the trade name FC 5. Instead, the government should protect their interests as detailed in the Plant Variety Protection Rights Act, they said.

Terming the reported deal unacceptable, Kapil Shah, the founding trustee and director of Jatan – A Mission for Sajiv Kheti (organic farming), said on Saturday that the move compromises farmers' freedom in choice of seeds and ignores the law of land.

"PepsiCo India should be told that this is not USA - this is India where farmers' right over seeds supersedes PepsiCo's rights. We will intensify our stir against company," read a press statement by Shah.

The media release came a day after PepsiCo India officials met state authorities to initiate efforts to work out a middle path following the massive backlash triggered by the company's decision to file cases against few potato growers over alleged patent right violations.

Despite claiming that it would withdraw the cases, PepsiCo was yet to make any formal moves in the Commercial Court of Ahmedabad till Friday evening. The rights groups have alleged that the government declared itself a mediator in the potato face-off, but never bothered to involve any farmer organisations in the talks it is holding with PepsiCo.

"How does such a deal make sense, and whose side Gujarat government is? When the law allows farmers to grow any variety of crop that they want, why should the Gujarat government persuade the farmers otherwise? Today it is PepsiCo and tomorrow, it will be another company," said Vitthalbhai Dudhatra, president of Bharatiya Kisan Sangh. He wondered if the government was trying to appease the company at the cost of the farmers' rights. "If such deals are struck, the government will face resistance from farmers."

With no official closure to the cases filed by PepsiCo in sight, more and more farmer bodies have decided to raise their voices against the company as well as the government.

"The Act empowers farmers to save, sow, resow, exchange, share and sell harvest including seeds of any variety even if it is registered. The only caveat on this was around sales of branded seeds. This case is a perfect test case to reiterate farmers rights in our law, and the government should use the opportunity to the fullest to demonstrate on whose side it is," said Jayesh Patel of Khedut Samaj – Gujarat.

A senior state official said that there are no efforts on the part of the government to suggest to farmers which seeds to sow. "The government has never made such a statement. We had only said that the company has merely informed that it is ready to withdraw the lawsuits," said the official, requesting not to be identified as the matter is still in court.