ri lt re and ood ana ement 8.27
(v) Replaces licensing with registrations Model Act and declare the entire state
of market functionaries, which would a single market with one licence valid
allow them to operate in one or across the entire state and removing all
more different market areas; restrictions on movement of agricultural
(vi) Establishment of consumers’ and produce within the state.
farmers’ markets to facilitate direct sale of (ii) The NAM (National Agriculture Market)
agricultural produce to consumers; through an Agri-Tech Infrastructure
(vii) Creation of marketing infrastructure Fund (ATIF) has been established by
from the revenue earned by the APMCs; Government of India in July 2015, which
(viii) Provides some freedom to the farmers to will be implemented up to 2017–18.
sell their produce directly to the contract- NAM will provide a common e-market
sponsors or in the market set up by private platform of regulated wholesale markets
individuals, consumers or producers; in states/UTs (those states /UTs that
(ix) Increases the competitiveness of the are desirous to joint he platform). The
market of agri-produce by allowing SFAC (Small Farmers Agribusiness
common registration of market Consortium) will implement this
intermediaries. e-platform and will cover 250, 200 and
Many of the states have partially adopted 135 mandis during 2015–16, 2016-17
the provisions of the model APMC Act and and 2017–18 respectively.
amended their respective APMC Acts. Some of The DAC & FW (Department of
the states have not framed rules to implement Agriculture, Cooperation Farmers
the amended provisions, which indicate hesitancy Welfare) will meet expenses on software
on the part of the state governments to liberalise and its customisation for the regulated
the statutory compulsion on farmers to sell their mandis of the states/UTs free of cost. To
produce through the APMCs. Some states (such Integrate with the NAM, the APMCs of
as Karnataka)32 have however adopted changes the states/UTs will need to meet certain
to create greater competition within the state— pre-requisites, which are given below:
popularly known as the Karnataka Model.
(a) a single license to be valid across the
The central government is closely working states,
with state governments to re-orient states’ APMC
(b) single point levy of market fee, and
Acts in order to provide for establishment of
(c) provision for electronic auction as a
private market yards/private markets. As per the
Union Budget 2017–18 and Economic Survey mode for price discovery.
2016-17 some of the recent initiatives taken in Majority of the states and all of the UTs
this regard are as follows: have shown their interest to join the
e-platform.
(i) A comprehensive advisory issued to the
states to go beyond the provisions of the (iii) On the request of the central government,
a number of state governments have
32. Other states like Maharashtra, Tamil nadu and Andhra exempted the marketing of fruits and
Pradesh did also for reforms in their APMC’s taking vegetables from the purview of the APMC
clues from the Modekl APMC Act—making these
states also to have some synergy coming into their Act. The NCT of Delhi has put fruits
agriculture market. and vegetables outside its APMC. The