-The Hindu Decision after assurances from govt. on long-term solution In a victory for Gujarat potato farmers dragged to court by PepsiCo for alleged rights infringement, the food and beverages giant says it has agreed to withdraw the cases. “After discussions with the Government, the Company has agreed to withdraw cases against farmers. We are relying on the said discussions to find a long term and an amicable resolution of all issues around...

-The Hindu Congress’ Ahmed Patel says Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority should have intervened With protests coming from all ends of the political spectrum, the Gujarat government has decided to back four potato farmers in their fight against PepsiCo’s Rs. 4.2 crore lawsuit against them for allegedly infringing its rights by growing the potato used in Lays chips. State will join A senior official told The Hindu that the State government...

-The Hindu If the farmers stop growing the registered potato variety used in its Lays chips. In the wake of criticism over its ?4.2 crore lawsuit against four Gujarati potato farmers, food and beverages giant PepsiCo has offered to settle the case if the farmers stop growing the registered potato variety used in its Lays chips. In an Ahmedabad civil court on Friday, PepsiCo’s lawyer offered a settlement on these terms: the farmers...

-The Hindu It poses biohazard & must be treated seriously, say activists Genetically modified (GM) brinjal is being illegally grown in the Fatehabad district of Haryana, according to anti-GM activists. On Thursday, they demanded that the Central and the State regulatory agencies immediately take action to stop the cultivation, investigate the spread of the illegal variety and destroy all such crops, seeds and saplings as dangerous biohazards are entering the food chain. Punitive...

-The Hindu They face demand for Rs. 1.05 crore in damages for growing Lays variety, want government to step in Just days after multi-billion dollar conglomerate PepsiCo sued four Gujarati farmers, asking them to pay Rs. 1.05 crore each as damages for ‘infringing its rights’ by growing the potato variety used in its Lays chips, farmers groups have launched a campaign calling for government intervention. The case is coming up for hearing in...