BENGALURU: The Karnataka APMC (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday.
“It is proposed to restore the earlier provision under the Act, which enables APMCs to have control over trading of notified agricultural produce at their yards to protect the interests of farmers,” according to
the Bill.
The Bill pointed out that the amendment made by previous BJP government allowed trading outside APMC yards and stated that this neither helped farmers in getting remunerative prices for their produce nor in improving their economic status.
It said farmers, who sold their produce outside APMC yards, are prone to exploitation by traders in the absence of a regulatory mechanism. Also, the flow of revenue to the government under different heads of taxes has been affected because of trading not taking place at APMC yards.
The Bill stated that farmers will be benefited by way of competitive and fair prices for their produce sold under the Unified Market Platform. As there is no online system to ensure transparency in trading outside APMC yards, farmers will not get remunerative prices for their produce.
There is a mechanism under the Act for settlement of disputes between farmers and functionaries at APMC yards regarding weight and payment made for the produce sold. But the same dispute redressal mechanism is not available for transactions made outside APMC yards by farmers, the Bill said. Continued on: P4
‘APMC’s role restricted due to amendment’
“Approximately one lakh people are working at APMC yards by obtaining licenses from APMC committees. Porters, weighing men, cart operators, and assistants for traders, commission agencies and stockists are among them. These workers will lose their jobs. Hence, there is a need to amend the existing law,” the Bill stated. Further, the Bill explained that APMCs contribute to the Revolving Fund set up by the government for implementation of the Minimum Support Price Scheme.
“When prices of agricultural produce fall below MSP, the revolving fund comes to the rescue of farmers. Prior to the amendment of the Act, APMCs contributed Rs 125 crore to the revolving fund annually. Because of the amendment, the APMCs’ role has been restricted to their yards only, affecting their income. Hence, the contribution to the revolving fund has come down to 50%, which is Rs 60 crore,” it stated.
Bills tabled
The Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (Amendment) Bill, The Karnataka State Road Safety Authority (Amendment) Bill,
and Karnataka Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) (Amendment) Bill were among the Bills tabled in the Assembly on Wednesday.
Rs 2L WORTH TOMATOES STOLEN FROM FARM
Miscreants stole tomatoes worth B2 lakh grown on a two-acre farm at Gonisomenahalli village of Belur taluk in Hassan district on Tuesday night. According to the police, the miscreants came in a goods vehicle and took away 90 bags of tomatoes. Officials have promised compensation to the farm owner.