Nagpur, Dec 8 (IANS) The state government on Monday tabled a bill to amend the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act, 1963 in a bid to modernise the state’s agricultural trade and create a unified market ecosystem.

It also focuses on simplifying trade licenses and boosting electronic commerce. The government hopes the amendments will ensure that the farmers in the state will get maximum benefit from the competitive prices of agricultural produce.

The most significant changes aim to dismantle the monopoly of traditional Agricultural Produce Market Committees (APMCs) and promote barrier-free trade across Maharashtra. The bill proposes the Unified Single Trading Licence (USTL), a game-changer for the trading community.

The USTL allows traders to conduct business in any market yard, private market, or electronic platform throughout the entire state of Maharashtra with a single, common license.

The amendment also recognizes Unified Single Trading Licenses issued by other States or Union Territories, further enabling inter-state trade, subject to applicable market fees. The government has introduced a new mechanism to designate specific market committees as ‘Markets of National Importance’ (MNI).

These markets are expected to handle a significant volume of agricultural produce (over 80,000 metric tons annually) and attract produce from at least two other states, thereby streamlining national-level trade.

The government has proposed an effective rollout of the National Agriculture Market (e-NAM) platform, aiming to integrate 133 APMCs into the pan-India electronic trading portal. This move is designed to ensure price transparency and help farmers realize better value for their crops by connecting them to a wider pool of buyers.

To ensure a regulated environment even outside the APMC premises, the government has made it mandatory for all private traders to secure a license from the marketing committee or the Director of Marketing before purchasing agricultural products directly from farmers.

According to the bill, the reforms proposed through amendments mark a decisive step towards integrating Maharashtra’s markets into the larger National Agriculture Market vision, promising greater choice and better price realization for the state’s millions of farmers, provided the administrative and operational challenges are successfully navigated.

–IANS

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