Question : AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE MARKETING COMMITTEE

(a) whether there is any proposal from the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) requesting for the amendment of the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (Development and Regulation) Act, 2003 in connection with the farm products;

(b) if so, the details thereof;

(c) the action taken by the Government in this regard;

(d) the time by which these amendments are likely to take place;

(e) whether FICCI has also given suggestions with regard to private markets, contract farming and proper taxation; and

(f) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE (SHRI KANTI LAL BHURIA)

(a) & (b) The Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (Development and Regulation) Act, 2003 is not a statute and it is only a Model Act formulated by this Department for giving guidance to the State Governments for amending their Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMC) Acts to implement reforms in the agricultural marketing sector. The Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has not made any proposal to amend the above said Model Act.

(c) & (d) Question does not arise.

(e) & (f) FICCI has, in their Task Force Report entitled `Indian Agriculture Unbound: Making Indian Agriculture Globally Competitive`, recommended for facilitating and encouraging setting up of private agricultural markets, contract farming and rationalization of various kinds of taxes relating to the agricultural marketing. Based on the Report of the Inter-Ministerial Task Force on Agricultural Marketing Reforms, the Central Government has already formulated a Model APMC Act and circulated to the States in 2003 for making amendments in States` APMC Acts for permitting setting up of private markets, facilitating contract farming and making provisions for exemption of market fee in relevant cases. Many State Governments have already made suitable amendments in their APMC Acts in this regard.