The Hindu Business Line : Maharashtra plans to amend agri marketing Act

THE State Minister for Marketing, Mr Harshvardhan Patil, has said that in keeping with the Union Government directive, the Maharashtra Government is set to bring in major changes in the Agricultural Marketing Produce Committee (APMC) Act in the coming monsoon session of the Assembly.

Speaking to newspersons, he said that the changes that would be brought in includes private participation in purchasing commodities, contract farming and single licensing system, while the regional marketing yards and infrastructure facilities would be given a boost.

He said that the Centre has prepared a model Act that would ensure the end of APMC monopoly, adding that the Act has not been amended since 1966.

The changes, once effective, would provide an alternative marketing network to farmers. Mr Patil said that 17 States have already adopted this model.

He added that the entry of private players would ensure that the farmers obtain a fair price for their produce. Slight modification to the contract farming rule would not give the farmers the ownership of land, while the single licence system would mean that the farmer can operate from anywhere with a single licence.

"This is expected to remove the middlemen who have always been the bane of farmers."

On the cotton scenario, Mr Patil said that the State would declare its new policy on cotton purchase by mid-May as it has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 1,700 crore under its cotton monopoly purchase scheme.

The State is also expected to get a major order of 25,00,000 bales export policy planned by the Centre, he added.

On the monopoly scheme, he said that the State has already churned out Rs 3,673 crore under the assured price scheme while another instalment of Rs 765 crore would be doled out by the first week of May.

Referring to the mango season in the State, he said that despite a marginal drop in production, the Maharashtra State Agriculture Marketing Board would export about 25,000 tonnes to South-East Asian countries and China.

He added that about 20,000 tonnes had been exported to China, Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia last year.

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