Gandhinagar:A day after US snacks and beverage company PepsiCo offered to stop pursuing the suit filed for seeking fine of Rs one crore each from four farmers of Gujarat it accuses of illegally growing a variety of potatoes registered for exclusive use in its Lays chips, the state government today said that it stood with the farmers and was even ready to become a party in the matter.

Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel today said that the state government would become a party and would, if needed, approach the high court in this matter. The government was with the farmers and was talking to them.

Notably, a commercial court which heard the matter yesterday had fixed June 12 as the next date of hearing.

Pepsico’s Indian subsidiary had filed lawsuits against the farmers earlier this month for cultivating FC5 variety of potato for which it has obtained plant variety protection rights till 2031. The company had during hearing yesterday offered to drop the case provided the farmers join thousands of others in the company’s authorized cultivation program.

Notably farmer unions and activists were opposing Pepsico for filing the case. They have even alleged that the US company illegally using private detectives filmed the farmers for filing the case. The company has sought damages of $143,000 (Rs one crore) from each farmer.

The company has in the court said that it was compelled to take the judicial recourse as a last resort to safeguard the larger interest of thousands of farmers that are engaged with its collaborative potato farming program.

The company yesterday said as part of its offer that it would not be seeking any compensation if the farmers agree join its cultivation program.

DeshGujarat