After UP And MP, Gujarat Govt Brings In Ordinance To Amend APMC Act To Allow Private Participation, Empower Farmers

The Gujarat government led by Chief Minister (CM) Vijay Rupani on Monday (11 May) amended the law for state’s marketing produce committees to empower farmers in the state.

Scrapping the monopoly of the state-run Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC), the State government has now allowed private participation in the market for the purchase of crops and livestock like cows, bulls and horses. It has also allowed the farmers to sell their produce to any APMC in the entire state and not be bound to a single one, reports Livemint.

According to the report, with these amendments to APMC act, Gujarat has now joined other BJP-ruled states, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, in attempting to reform their agricultural markets to help farmers get better prices for their produce.

As an outcome of the ordnance notified by the State Government, the traders are now permitted to make direct purchases from the farmers without having to pay any fee to the APMCs. Also, the existing trader licences shall now be converted into single State-wide trader licence which would allow them to sell at any APMC in the State.

The amendments empower the state to declare any existing market yard as one of national importance (MNI). The changes in state APMC law seek to further liberalise the farm markets by saying that not less than 30 per cent of the annual tonnage or annual value at the yard may arrive from not less than two other states.