The Hindu Business Line : Centre's condition to States: `Changes in APMC laws must to avail horticulture mission benefits'

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Centre's condition to States: `Changes in APMC laws must to avail horticulture mission benefits'

Our Bureau

Kolkata , Feb. 5

THE Centre has made it mandatory for the State Governments to carry out reforms of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Acts to avail themselves of the benefits of the Technology Mission on Horticulture, according to the Union Agriculture Secretary, Ms Radha Singh.

The Centre has already announced the launch of the Rs 20,000-crore mission, to be followed by a Rs 7000-crore project for promoting dry land agricultural practices beginning next year.

Though she refrained from indicating a timeframe for the amendment of the APMC Acts , she made it clear that States would "not be provided money for agricultural development," if the amendments were not made. A model draft had already been made available to the States, she said.

She told reporterson Saturday at the Indian Chamber of Commerce that Haryana, Kerala, Karnataka and Madhya Pradhesh had already amended the APMC Acts to liberalise the marketing of agri-products and ensure better returns to farmers. Maharashtra had also amended parts of its APMC Act relating to horticulture produce.

The West Bengal Government had formed a committee to recommend measures to be taken. The committee recently submitted its report, which is now being considered by the State Government.

The four-phase mission, beginning from the generic improvement of seeds to the creation of infrastructure, processing and marketing, will offer subsidies to States to ensure the processing of higher quantities of horticulture produce against the existing average of 1.5 per cent and the marketing of the same.

Earlier addressing the chamber, she said with the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) framework on agriculture nearing finalisation, "the day is not far when our farmers will have to face tough competition from abroad."

Saying that Indian farmers had adequate resilience to face the challenge posed by the WTO regime, Ms Singh pointed out that the country was showing signs of coming out of the rice-wheat cycle.

"As the success of the green revolution is showing signs of fatigue, this year, we have brought substantially much larger areas under oilseed, cotton and pulses. What is more important, irrespective of erratic rainfall, production will be at the same level or marginally less than the 212 million tonnes in 2003-04."

She, however, emphasised the need for a substantial change in agricultural practices. "With the banking sector covering only 30 per cent of farmers, a large section of the farmer population is still under the control of money lenders charging interest rates from 26 to 40 per cent, " she added.

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