Farmers need protection from multi nationals
Pepsico company recently filed cases against Gujarat farmers for growing potato varieties for which it has the plant protection rights. They have slapped cases against farmers in local courts in Gujarat claiming a compensation of a crore of rupees. They seem to be now willing for an out of court settlement with farmers. A company which has entered the Indian market in 1989 and encouraged contract farming first in Punjab and then expanded to other states at this point of time to get involved with a patent infringement issues with the farmers looks a bit strange. But in the process they have brought to the fore substantial issues of protection of farmers rights under the protection of plant varieties and farmers rights act of 2001. As long as the research and development of plant varieties was in the hands of Government and government research organisations there was no need for any such plant protection rights.Farmers generally were the beneficiaries of any...