The APMC Act was one of the three controversial laws the Union government, under pressure from farmers, withdrew on 29 November 2021.
Karnataka government to collect opinions from all the stake holders before completing repealing APMC act. (South First)
Farmers and vegetable traders in Karnataka are both worried and angry. They want the state government to repeal the Karnataka Agriculture Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Act, 2020, to be repealed at the earliest.
The APMC (Amendment) Act was one of the three controversial laws the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government introduced in 2020. Bowing to the pressure from the farmers, the Union government repealed the law on 29 November, 2021, but Karnataka, then under the BJP rule, did not revoke it.
The Siddaramaiah-led Congress government tabled the Karnataka Agriculture Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the Legislative Assembly on 5 July, 2023. The House passed the Bill on 17 July.
However, the Legislative Council stalled the Bill on 18 July since the ruling party did not have sufficient members. Later, the government decided to forward the Bill to a House committee.
The state government has now decided to invite the views of all stakeholders regarding the APMC Act.
Minister for Sugar, Textiles and APMC Shivananda Patil said the Legislative Council Scrutiny Committee comprising MLCs from across the party lines will listen to the opinions of all stakeholders and submit a report to the government.
The minister added that the APMCs in the state have incurred around 70 percent loss in their annual revenue ever since the Act was introduced.
The delay in repealing the controversial Act has left farmers like KK Srinivas Gowda in a quandary.
Gowda has been growing capsicum, beans, and tomato on his five-acre farm in Kolar. Ever since the Act came into force in 2020, he has been selling his produce to a mega private retail mart.
He has now decided not to sell the vegetables to the retail mart.
“While the existing Act gives farmers the freedom to sell their crops to anyone. But in reality, these private players bother the farmers a lot. They stress on quality while procuring vegetables. If they find a minor damage, the vegetables are immediately discarded,” he said.
Gowda added that the private parties are particular about size as well.
“I want to ask them whether God will provide us power to fix or alter the shapes of vegetables. Without providing valid reasons, they discard 30 percent of the supply,” he explained.
“How would we survive if such a huge quantity is discarded? Hence, it is necessary for the state government to withdraw the APMC Act to strengthen the APMC and farmers,” he demanded.
The farmer has decided not to sell his produce to private firms from this year.
According to the existing farm laws, farmers can sell their produce to private players instead of marketing it to APMC. “There are a lot of differences while dealing with private firms. While dealing with private parties, we need not pay commission to middlemen, labour, or for transportation,” Gowda explained.
While selling at the APMC, the farmers have to bear all these expenses.
“This becomes a burden to us. However, there is a risk in pricing and payment. As per the Act, the government has not made it mandatory for private players to purchase farm produce at MSP, whereas the mandi buys at MSP. There are pros and cons. But we demand government to withdraw the existing law,” he said.
Minister Patil said the Legislative Council has formed a scrutiny committee to analyse the pros and cons of the Karnataka Agriculture Produce Marketing (Regulation and Development) (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
“The members of the committee will tour the state to consult with farmers, traders, and common people and collect their views before repealing the APMC Act. A report regarding the APMC Act will be submitted to the government at the earliest,” Patil told reporters in Raichur.
“The MLAs, cutting across the party lines, in the scrutiny committee had a thorough meeting and it was found that 70 percent of the transaction in the market has dipped due to the Amendment Act.”
“Along with empowering APMCs, the government is committed to the welfare of farmers. Accordingly, the government will initiate necessary steps,” Patil said.
When the BS Yediyurappa government introduced the APMC Act, the then Opposition Congress had vehemently opposed the move and assured the farmers that it would repealed, if voted to power.
Several farmers in the state have been selling their crops directly to private parties. However, the agrarian community and traders demanded the government to repeal the APMC Act at the earliest.
“The private players buy farm produce at a very low price and then sell at a higher price. For example, they purchase maize for ₹2 to ₹8 from us but sell the same product for over ₹50,” Gowda said.
Farmer Venkanna Malali of Mudhol felt the BJP’s APMC Act betrayed the farmers. “We believe in strengthening the APMCs rather than the private firms. The BJP government’s APMC Act is nothing but a betrayal of farmers. It helps private players to dominate the market,” he told South First.
“These private players hardly purchase the farm produce as per the Union government’s Minimum Selling Price. It is a huge concern for us. We should also grow the crops they want. It is not acceptable. Hence, the government should repeal the APMC Act, considering the farmers’ welfare,” Malali, who grows sugarcane, maize and onion.
It is not just farmers, traders in the APMCs also expressed concern over the existing law. They said it has been affecting their revenue.
Ramesh Lohti a trader in the Yeshwanthpura APMC, said the arrival of goods has fallen by at least 50 percent in the yard. It is devouring the market. If it continues for another two years, we will have to close our shops,” he told South First.
“We have been opposing the APMC Act. The Union government has already repealed it but the state government has not withdrawn it. If the APMC has to survive, the government should repeal the law at the earliest instead of wasting time by collecting opinions,” he opined.
“After our continuous protests, the state government made an effort to repeal the APMC Act but could not succeed due to the lesser members in the Council. They have to reintroduce the same Bill again in both the houses.”
“This Act is causing severe problems to farmers. Many got cheated by private players. The private players after procuring the farm produce left without paying. When such incidents occur, the police won’t even accept our complaints,” another farmer Shanthakumar said.
“The police asked us to file a complaint with the assistant commissioner. Farmers are not getting justice here. We are confident that the government will back the farmers by repealing the farm bill at the earliest,” he added.
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