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Sunday, Jun 24, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Sunday, Jun 24, 2007 ePaper |
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Karnataka
Staff Reporter
Bangalore: The Bill to amend the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) Act will be passed in the next legislature session, despite opposition from trade bodies, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, said here on Saturday. He was speaking to presspersons during a surprise visit to Safal Market of the National Diary Development Board. The proposed changes in the APMC Act would help farmers get remunerative prices for their produce, he said. An amendment to the University of Agricultural Sciences Act would also be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting to enable the private sector to set up educational institutes in the area of agriculture. On the Nandagudi Special Economic Zone proposal, he said it had not been rejected by Centre, and added that there was no question of taking away farmers’ lands forcibly. Changes opposed
Bangalore Special Correspondent writes: Various trade bodies and farmers’ organisations have termed the proposed amendments to the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act, 1966, disastrous. The Government plans to amend the Act to facilitate the entry of corporates into the State’s agricultural sector and allow farmers to sell their produce directly, ending the APMCs’ monopoly in marketing agro-produce. The amendments will also widen the scope for contract farming. R.C. Purohit, president, Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry, said the proposed amendments to the APMC Act would be disastrous and would not help farmers. In a letter to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, Mr. Purohit said, “By amending the Act you are allowing multinational companies such as Reliance, Wal-Mart and Metro Cash & Carry to operate in agricultural commodities in retail.” The Federation was totally against the proposed amendments to the APMC Act, he said. The Government should not to issue permission to create private market yards, which would wipe out 144 AMPC yards and 750 sub-yards in the State. The Government tabled the Karnataka Agricultural Marketing Produce Committee (Amendment) Bill, 2007, in the budget session of the legislature, but it was not discussed. The Bangalore Wholesale Foodgrains and Pulses Merchants’ Association has also written to Mr. Kumaraswamy opposing the entry of private players in agriculture. ‘Won’t solve problems’
Raitha Krishi-Karmikara Sanghatane, Bangalore, president Sunith Kumar and secretary H.V. Diwakar, said the amendments to the Act would not solve farmers’ problems. Neither the APMCs nor farmers wanted changes to the Act. Then why was the Government favouring a handful of companies, they asked. Trade organisations observed a Statewide bandh in April opposing the proposed amendments to the Act.
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