Agricultural Marketing Committee

Reservation : 11  Formers Representatives are reservation as following.

1. Women -02  2. Schedule Caste-01  3. Schedule Tribe-01  4. Backword Caste-02

INTRODUCTION

Through Agricultural Produce Market Committees, establishment of Market Yards, submarket yards and developing and maintaining the market yards and sub market yards. Enforcing the regulatory measures in respect of sale and purchase of notified Agricultural produce brought by the Agriculturist to the market yards, providing a platform to ensure competitive prices, correct weighment, payment and creating an exploitation free atmosphere by preventing illegal activities in the marketing of agricultural produce. Regulating the activities of warehouses by enforcing the licensing conditions, establishment and maintenance of laboratories for the purpose of grading of agricultural produce in the State.

 The Director of Agricultural Marketing is an officer appointed by the State Government to exercise or perform such of the powers or functions of the Director of Agricultural Marketing under the provisions of the Act or Rules. Accordingly, declaration of market yards, market sub-yards, sub-market and sub-market yards, superintendents, direction and control of elections, disqualification of sitting member, motion of no confidence, vacancy in the office of chairman and vice chairman, Bye-laws, appointment of officers and staff to the market committees, grant / renewal of license of private market yard, farmer-consumer market, direct purchase, appellate authority, control over the market fund etc, are monitored and implemented in accordance with the provisions of the Act and Rules.

History  :  The Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act 1966 has been enacted to provide a uniform law relating to the better regulation of buying and selling of Agricultural Produce and the establishment of Markets for Agricultural Produce throughout the State. The Act has been enacted & given effect to from 1-5-1968 by repealing and replacing the following Acts which were in force in the several areas:-

• The Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1939 (Bombay Act, 22 of 1939 as in force in Bombay area.)
• The Madras Commercial Crops Markets Act, 1933 (Madras Act, 20 of 1933) as in force in the Madras area and as in force in Bellary District.
• The Coorg Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1956 (Coorg Act, 7 of 1956) as in force in Coorg District.
• The Hyderabad Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1339 F(Hyderabad Act, 2 of 1339 F) as in force in Hyderabad area.
• The Mysore Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1939 (Mysore Act, 16 of 1939) as in force in Mysore area
• A Market at Bailahongal was established under the Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act, during 1936 and at Tiptur under The Mysore Agricultural Produce Marketing Act, during 1948 in the State. Department of Agricultural Marketing which was earlier an unit of the Co-operation Department started functioning as an independent department during the year 1972.

Achievements :

The entire State has been brought under the ambit of regulation. 146 APMCs have been established. Elections to the said APMCs are held regularly and thereby provided for democratic functioning of the APMCs. 

The State of Karnataka has been acclaimed as a pioneer in the field of Agricultural Marketing. Karnataka was the first State to allow the co-operative sector through NDDB for establishing National Integrated Produce Market namely SAFAL market. The said market has been exempted from the provisions of the KAPM(R) Act, 1966 and the Rules 1968.  The Model Act, 2003 formulated by the Government of India contains many progressive legislations introduced in the State of Karnataka. The Marketing legislation has been amended from time to time to incorporate the necessities arising in the field of Agricultural Marketing.  To take up the development of market yards wherein the infrastructure required for the marketing of notified agricultural produce which benefits and safe guards the farmers in terms of proper weighment, competitive price and free from exploitation and payment of price on the same day. For this purpose it has been made mandatory in the Act to the effect that the buying and selling of notified agricultural produce shall take place only in the market yards notified by the Director from time to time.

Rs.900 crores have been spent for development of market yards till date. A reasonable and good infrastructure has been developed in the State. To make use of the information technology for the benefit of stake-holders, KRISHI MARATA VAHINI web-site has been launched during 2001.  The prices prevailing in the day and the arrivals of the commodities to the market yards will be reported by all the APMCs online to the web-site.  The web-site has been formulated which is user friendly.  Government of India has in term developed on the lines of KRISHI MARATA VAHINI and launched AGMARKNET.  In the process the stake-holder can have the information of the prices and arrivals of commodities in the APMCs of the State as well as in the rest of the country.

To reap the benefits of liberalization, action has been taken to sanction licenses for electronic trading by establishing Spot Exchanges. The premier institutions like NCDEX and Spot Exchange India Private Limited have been licensed. Contract Farming has been regulated under the Act which helps the processing industry.

The market fee structure has been rationalized. The State has been considered as one unit and the levy and collection market fee has been made at single point which makes that the market fee suffered goods in one market is exempted from the payment of market fee in any of the APMCs in the State. To give impetus to the processing industry which in term fetch more value to the producer, the market fee levied on raw produce is exempted on the finished goods.

2. RAITHA SANJEEVINI  

The Karnataka State Agricultural Marketing Board is implementing “Raitha Sanjeevini” Accidental Insurance Scheme for the benefit of all the Agriculturist of Karnataka. If a farmer or his family members in the age group of 15 to 60 dies while performing the agricultural operations or selling agricultural & horticultural commodities in the market yards etc.,

3. MINIMUM FLOOR PRICE SCHEME :

To help the farmers from distress sale, Floor Price Scheme has been formulated. Government will declare Minimum Support Price and arrange for procurement of the same. For the purpose, Revolving Fund has been set up. Market committees in the State contribute 0.4% of the market fee collected every month.

The KSAMB will manage the fund. The scheme is first of its kind in the country and many States are evincing keen interest to adopt the same in respective States for the benefit of farming community.

From the year 1999 till date 10,19,578 farmers have benefited under the scheme. Rs.3108.73 crores have been revolved for the purpose of procurement of agriculture and horticultural produce since 1999-2000 till date

4. HAMALS INSURANCE SCHEME :

The Karnataka State Agricultural Marketing Board is implementing Aam AdmiVima Scheme for the benefit of hamals, cartsmen and weighmen working in 161 APMCs. Every ‘Shramik’ who wants to be a member of the said scheme has to contribute a premium of Rs.100 per annum. The Government of India under the Social Security
Scheme releases Rs.100 per person registered under this scheme to LIC.

The Scheme is in force from 01-10-2000. Under this Scheme if a person dies naturally he gets a compensation of Rs.300,000. If the death is due to accident then the compensation to be paid is Rs.75,000. From the year started to till date Shramiks numbering 3,51,968 have registered their names under the Aam admi Vima Jojana and 2099 beneficiaries have been sanctioned a compensation of Rs.5.89 crores

5. HAMALS HOUSING SCHEME :

The Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporations has also come forward to construct
houses for licensed hamals working in the APMCs of Karnataka. As many as 5000 hamals have been covered under this scheme. So far 808 working hamals have been identified as beneficiaries. The total cost of house is Rs.40,000/-.
The State Government sanctions a subsidy of RS.10,000 for each house. So far Rs.80.80 lakhs has been released.

The licensed hamal has to contribute Rs.5,000. The balance amount of Rs.25,000 will be sanctioned as loan by Rajiv Gandhi Rural Housing Corporation. This amount is to be repaid by the licensed hamal in 15 years at the rate of Rs.297 per month. The scheme has been financed and is under implementation.

V. R. JAYAKUMAR,
Deputy Director
Agricultural Marketing Department,
1^st Floor, Sale Hall Building, A P M C Yard,
Sagar Road,  Shivamogga

Phone : 08182-250236
E-Mail : ddamsmg@gmail.com, ddamsmg@rediffmail.com