Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Agriculture and COVID
Agriculture and COVID
Intro-
List II entry 14 of Schedule 7 deals with agriculture.
The government of India has published model State/UT Agricultural Produce and
Livestock Market Act,2017
48% of the population depends upon agriculture and allied activities for
employment.
Model Act because the legislative power in relation to agriculture rests with States.
States have enacted their Agriculture Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act known as
APMC Acts in 1960s and 1970s.
First model Act introduced in 2003 by GOI.
Model Act of 2017 was also needed because in 2016 National Agriculture market
was established.
National Agriculture Market (eNAM) is a pan-India electronic trading portal which
networks the existing APMC mandis to create a unified national market for
agricultural commodities. (https://www.enam.gov.in/web/)
Integration of APMCs across the country through a common online market platform
to facilitate pan-India trade in agriculture commodities, providing better price
discovery through transparent auction process based on quality of produce along
with timely online payment.
(http://web.delhi.gov.in/wps/wcm/connect/doit_am/AM/Default/The+Delhi+Agricultural+P
roduce+Marketing+%28Regulation%29+Act%2C+1998)
An Act to provide for the better regulation of marketing of agricultural produce and
the establishment of markets for agricultural produce in the National Capital
Territory of Delhi and for matters connected therewith.
The enactment is sub divided into 15 chapters.
Section 2 defines various terms such as market, market area, retail sale, buyer
Section 3 allows the government to define various agricultural commodities whose
sale intends to regulate.
Section 4 allows the government to declare an area as market wherein it can add or
delete an area.
Section 17 enlists various functions of the board –
1) Power to inspect books of accounts of the traders who trade in the market
2) Induct people as it deems necessary for smooth functioning of the market
3) Planning and development of the market
4) Considering new places where markets can be established, building the
infrastructural facilities required for market
5) Maintain accounts and publish them at the year end
6) Provide loans
Section 23 establishes principal market and may also establish subsidiary markets
(for example Ghazipur Sabzi Mandi is principal market while inside the market there
is Ghazipur Faal market) It is also the duty to set up infrastructure.
Chapter 7 deals with the powers and duties of the marketing committee (which
manages the market)
Section 55 provides powers to the committee to regulate the entry of people and
vehicles, supervise the conduct of buying and selling, grant and suspend license, take
steps to prevent adulteration
Section 62 provides power to the marketing committee to levy fee.
Section 72 provides power to the committee to provide loans.
Section 83 provides that disputes arising between the buyers and sellers to be
settled by subcommittee or an arbitrator. Appeal would lie to the board.
A National e-market platform for transparent sale transactions and price discovery in
regulated markets, kisan mandis, warehouses and private markets. Willing States to
accordingly enact provision for e-trading in their APMC Act.
One license for a trader valid across all markets in the State.
Single point levy of market fees i.e. on the first wholesale purchase from the farmer
Benefits of Trading on NAM
In order to debottleneck Logistics of Agri Produce and providing adequate and timely
transportation facility to the farmers/traders during lockdown period, e-NAM
platform has created an Interface with large transport aggregators like Blackbuck,
Rivigo, Mavyn, Truck Suvidha, Truck Guru, Transin Logistics, Elastic Run etc. This
would help traders to find and arrange timely movement of produces from mandi to
various other locations. With this interface, Traders would be able to access more
than 7.76 lakh trucks through eNAM Platform. Farmers can download the Kisan Rath
mobile App from Play store from where trucks can be arranged.
Warehouse based trading module enabling farmers to sell their produce from WDRA
registered warehouses notified as deemed market &
Farmer Producer Operators trading module, enabling FPOs to upload produce from
collection centres with picture/ quality parameter and also avail bidding facility
without going to mandis, which will reduce their logistic costs and hassle to sell their
produce.
Various state governments have taken initiatives such as direct selling by farmers to
bulk buyers and Farmer Producer Operators.
PM -kisan Samman nidhi instalments have been given before time to 8 crore
farmers. Instalment amount of 2000 to be provided.
Lockdown conditions have been eased for harvesting of Rabi crops all over India. (eg
wheat) The para 6 of the revised guidelines deals with Agriculture and related
activities which allows mandis to function, agencies to procure agricultural produce,
farmers to work in fields, shops of agricultural machinery to remain open.
(https://www.mha.gov.in/sites/default/files/MHA%20order%20dt
%2015.04.2020%2C%20with%20Revised%20Consolidated
%20Guidelines_compressed%20%283%29.pdf)
RBI has announced a moratorium on agricultural loans for a period of 3 months.
Various states such as Punjab have issued passes to farmers, district administration
has been ordered to ensure safe movement for farmers to and from mandis.
IMPORTANT POINT ALL THE CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN BROUGHT REQUIRE AMENDMENT
IN THE APMC ACTS. THE OLDER APMC ACTS DON’T HAVE PROVISIONS FOR DIRECT
SELLING OR FOR WAREHOUSES TO BE TREATED AS SUB MARKET YARDS BUT THE MODEL
ACT OF 2017 HAS SUCH PROVISIONS. TILL DATE NO MAJOR STATE HAS RE DRAFTED ITS
APMC ACT. MOREOVER BIHAR HAS SAID IT WILL NOT IMPLEMENT THE NEW MODEL ACT.