Bangalore: The Congress member D.R. Patil urged the Government on Friday to notify the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (Prevention of Malpractice) Act enacted seven years ago. This will help farmers, who are now forced to pay a commission to agents for selling their produce in the APMC yards.

Participating in the debate in the Legislative Assembly on the budget proposals, Mr. Patil said that on an average, farmers all over the State lose around Rs. 500 crores a year by way of payment of commission to agents. This is happening because the Government has not yet notified the Act. He said agents collect commissions as high as 3 per cent.

Mr. Patil said that the law was enacted by the J.H. Patel Government. As a member of the legislature committee on the Bill, he had seen how agents took their commission before passing on their bills to the APMC.

`Issue bills in 24 hours'

The APMCs all over the State should be directed to issue bills to farmers within 24 hours of the sale of produce, he said.

Sudhakar Reddy (Congress) echoed similar views and said that in Chintamani commission agents collect boxes of tomatoes also and their collection crosses 300 boxes sometimes, but farmers are helpless.

The APMCs have associations of different classes of workers such as hamals and farmers are afraid of them, he said.

While appreciating the reduction in the interest rate on farm loans to four per cent from six per cent, Mr. Patil said that this save farmers up to Rs. 100 crores. But, the notification of the APMC Act will benefit them more.

Mr. Patil wanted an increase in the allocation for the revolving fund for purchasing foodgrains from farmers in distress. He criticised the Government for collecting a cess from farmers towards the fund, which accounts for Rs. 50 crores annually, and asked what contribution the Government is making to the fund.

The member said the Government should not divest gram panchayats of the responsibility of distributing Ashraya sites and entrust the work to MLAs.

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