PepsiCo has exclusive rights on the variety by virtue of a Plant Variety Certificate granted under the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act of 2001. The company uses this strain of potato to manufacture a popular brand of potato chips. The farmers sued for the violation were not contract farmers for PepsiCo. It relates to the advantages of IPR and contract farming versus the freedom of small farmers to grow what they want to. These include subsidies, minimum guaranteed incomes and technological improvements for productivity gains for small farmers.

Source: The Telegraph May 09, 2019 05:15 UTC