 "Introduced first in December last year, the model draft guidelines on contract farming have provisions for companies to pool farmers' land for at least one season and a maximum of five")
In April last year, PepsiCo India had sued around 11 farmers of Gujarat for damages of over Rs 1 crore. This was for alleged illegal cultivation of a potato variety registered by the company under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers Rights Act, 2001.
The company claimed that the potato variety, called FL-2027, which it grows exclusively for its Lay’s potato chips, is being cultivated by a few Gujarat farmers without permission. This, it says, is a gross infringement of intellectual property rights under the Plant protection Act. The company’s action led to massive protests by farmers.
PepsiCo India,
