The infringement suit filed by PepsiCo India Holdings Pvt Ltd (PIH), Indian subsidiary of the US multinational corporation, against potato farmers in Gujarat is premised on an untenable interpretation of law on plant breeders in the country. Both houses of the Indian Parliament passed the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights (PPV&FR) Act in 2001. The opening lines of the legislation explain that it is meant to establish protection for both farmers and plant breeders. Potatoes don’t grow from a seed, but what is called a potato seed, a small tuber that has sprouts. That was the year when India’s PPV&FR Authority began issuing the very first plant variety certificates under the law.

Source: dna May 01, 2019 01:40 UTC