Uttarakhand''s APMC bill being referred to Governor

Dehra Dun, Mar 27 (PTI) The APMC bill, which seeks to provide effective regulation in marketing of agricultural produces as well as establishment of proper marketing system in Uttarakhand, is being referred to Governor Margaret Alva for her assent.The move comes after the state assembly this week passed the Uttarakhand Agriculture Produce Marketing (development and regulation) bill 2011 by the House."After the passage of the bill in the state assembly, it is being referred to the Governor for assent," said a top government official.The new bill seeks to regulate the sale and purchase of agriculture produces and envisages establishment of marketing development fund in the hill state.The APMC Act contains provisions for setting up private markets, enabling contract farming and constitution of regulatory authority to ensure a level playing field between the government controlled and private mandis.Private mandis would mean cutting out extra cess such as the mandi cess and other charges, reducing final costs for consumers and buyers and allowing better gains for farmers.There will be some safeguards in the contract farming process.The contract farming will not be performed unless the buyer has registered himself in that market committee. The move came after a sub-committee of the state cabinet last year approved the draft.An expert committee has also toured different states like Andhra Pradesh to study the act and later gave its assent.The draft of the act was gathering dust during the past three years after the then Chief Minister B C Khanduri suggested certain changes and formed a sub-committee in this regard.The new act is expected to pave the way for the legitimate establishment of private mandis. The bulk purchase licences will also allow the corporate houses to buy directly from farmers in the run-up to the setting up of private mandis in the state.