Treat for Pepsico's Potato Farmers in India

For 56-year old Subrata Ghosh from village Garbeta in Bengal’s Medinipur district, it was a dream come true on Saturday.

Ghosh, who has been a contract potato farmer for PepsiCo India for the last nine years, was invited to watch the IPL (Indian Premier League) match between Kolkata Knight Riders and the Chennai Super Kings at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

“I have always yearned to watch a match at Eden Gardens. I am very happy and excited to be here today,” Ghosh said, his face glowing with joy.

About 100 farmers across the country have been sponsored by PepsiCo India, the title sponsor of the IPL, to watch some matches live. Of those invited, nearly half are from Bengal.

Under the “collaborative farming” arrangement with Pepsico, potato farmers sow the “Atlanta” and “Chipsona” varieties — commonly referred as Pepsi Alu — that are used to make Frito-Lay branded products. The company works with over 24,000 farmers across nine States. Of these, 12,000 farmers are from Bengal, the largest procurement region for PepsiCo.