(a) whether the Government proposes to denotify fruits and vegetables under the
Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act, 1998 to bring down the prices of
these produce;
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor;
(c) whether the decision is likely to be implemented in the entire country;
(d) if so, whether representatives of all the wholesale markets have planned a nation-
wide strike resulting in shortage of these items;
(e) if so, whether the Government has any proposal to sell farmers’ produce other than
at mandies; and
(f) if so, the remedial measures taken or being taken by the Government in this
regard?
|
|
ANSWER
|
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD PROCESSING
INDUSTRIES (DR. SANJEEV KUMAR BALYAN)
(a) & (b): In order to bring down prices of fruits and vegetables, Government of
National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi has, vide Notification dated 19.6.2014, under
sub-section 1 of section 3 read with section 4(4) of Delhi Agricultural Produce
Marketing (Regulation) Act 1998, declared its intention of ceasing the regulation of
marketing of fruits and vegetables in the respective market areas of the three
Marketing Committees, namely, Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC)
Market of National Importance (MNI), Azadpur, APMC Keshopur & APMC Shahdara.
Under the above provisions, objections or suggestions have been invited within 45
days of the publication of this notification.
As horticultural commodities such as fruits and vegetables are highly perishable
items, delay in their sales impact not only the quality but eventually result in wastages
and reduction in supplies thereby spiking up costs. De-notification of fruits and
vegetables from the purview of the APMC Act is expected to encourage alternate
competitive channels for sale of fruits and vegetables. Such a measure should not
only encourage direct purchase from farmers by bulk buyers, exporters and food
processor but sale as well without the necessity of routing each time through the
APMC market yards. Further, such transactions will be automatically exempt from
levies imposed by the APMC which should also have a salutary effect on prices.
(c): While the Government has advocated de-notification of fruits and vegetables
from the respective agriculture produce marketing regulations of the States, however,
its actual implementation has to be done by the States as Agriculture Marketing is a
mandate of the State.
(d): No such information is available with the Government.
(e) & (f): Department of Agriculture and Cooperation is supporting the
establishment of Kisan Mandis to enable farmers and Farmer Producer Organisations
(FPOs) to directly sell their produce to wholesalers, retailers and ordinary consumers.
One such Kisan Mandi is being set up by Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium
(SFAC) on a pilot basis in Delhi. All States and Union Territories have been addressed
on establishment of Kisan Mandis or farmer markets on the same model and SFAC
has offered its services for technical assistance to such mandis provided that the
Agriculture Produce Marketing Regulation Act of the States/Union Territories
specifically permits establishment and operation of Kisan Mandis.
|
|