In setbacks to PepsiCo India, the PPV & FR variety protection authority revoked the Varieties registration certificate on December 3, which was given to the main food and drinks on the ‘FL-2027’ potato varieties in this country. Reacting to developments, Pepsico said that he was in the process of reviewing orders authorized by the protection of plant varieties & farmer rights (PPV & FR) authorities.
PPV & FR is a legal entity established under the protection of plant varieties and farmer rights law, 2001. The authorities of the authorities came to the petition submitted by Agricultural Activists Kavitha Kuruganti, who believed that the registration certificate grant to Pepsico India was based on incorrect information equipped with that.
He also argues that intellectual property (IPR) given to Pepsico India in potato varieties does not match the provisions set for registration and oppose the public interest. In addition, the registration certificate has been given to someone who does not qualify for protection based on laws and farmers (PepsiCo) does not provide registrants with information, documents or material like that, according to their requests.
PPV & FR has approved Submission Kuruganti and said the registration certificate grant was based on “wrong information” equipped with the applicant.
“Thus the registration certificate on February 1, 2016, which is given by the Registrar that supports registered farmers (PepsiCO) in connection with the potato varieties with FL 2027 denominations with this is revoked by direct effects,” the authorities in 79 pages in power.
In his assessment, PPV & FR has also dropped a lot on the registrar, saying that “registrants become a protector of farmer rights, violating the rules and this has caused difficulties for farmers and others.”
“It’s really unacceptable,” he added.
The authority directs registrants to develop standard sheets for application evaluation for registration of plant varieties in accordance with actions, regulations and regulations. “The clerk also may be a committee and submit detailed reports on how to avoid such instances in the future,” the command word.
Commenting on Development, Spokesperson PepsiCo said: “We realize the order passed by the PPVFR authority and is in the process of reviewing the same thing. Therefore, at this time it will be premature to offer detailed comments.” Previously, Pepsico India had used a certificate on the Potato Variety of FL-2027 to demand farmers in Gujarat in 2018 and 2019.
In a statement, Kuruganti described the judgment as a historic and said it uphold the freedom of farmer seeds as contained in the PPV & FR Law. Pepsico’s actions against farmers are based on exclusive rights that have nothing to claim to have been obtained against Indian farmers, he said.
“Today’s authority assessment also said this. On the other hand, Indian laws are not ambiguous that farmers have the right to curve for what they can plant with what they do with any results, including diverse seeds registered,” Kuruganti said.
The only condition is that farmers may not sell the seeds of protected varieties in branded mode intentionally, Kuruganti added.