PepsiCo sues four Gujarat farmers for cultivating potatoes it uses in Lay's

PepsiCo has sued four farmers in North Gujarat for cultivating a variety of potatoes that the company uses to make its popular potato wafers ‘Lay's’, agencies reported on Friday.

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New Delhi: Food and beverage company PepsiCo has sued four farmers in North Gujarat for cultivating a variety  of potatoes that the company uses to make its popular potato wafers ‘Lays’, agencies reported on Friday. Anand Yagnik, the advocate for the farmers was quoted by ANI saying: “PepsiCo Company has filed a suit against 4 farmers of North Gujarat in a commercial court in Ahmedabad, saying that the seeds used by these farmers can’t be used by them as PepsiCo has the right over those seeds.” The company has sued them for using FC5 potato variety which is exclusively grown for its popular Lay’s potato chips. Reporst said that the company is seeking more than 10 million Indian rupees, each for alleged infringement of its patent. During a hearing in the commercial court here Friday, the firm offered to settle the dispute if the farmers gave an undertaking to purchase this specific variety of seeds from the company and thereafter sell the potato produced to it. Senior counsel Anand Yagnik, who appeared for the four farmers of Sabarkantha district, told the court he will discuss this settlement proposal with the farmers and inform the court about the outcome during the next hearing. Commercial Court Judge M C Tyagi Friday extended its previous order restricting these farmers from using the patented seeds till the next hearing, which was kept for June 12.