K'taka: Trading in APMC come to a standstill

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Bangalore, Jan 5: All the market yards of the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) in Karnataka today remained closed in response to the Statewide bandh call given by traders in protest against the State Government's move to bring in an amendment to the APMC Act, seeking to open up the market to private entrepreneurs.

According to official sources, trading activities came to a grinding halt at all the 144 APMCs in the State, with the consumers bearing the brunt. Traders in the APMC were opposing the amendment, fearing that multinational companies would take advantage of it.

The State Government proposed to bring in an amendment to the APMC Act, 1986, giving farmers the freedom to sell their produce directly in the open market or through APMCs.

Reacting to the bandh call, State Agriculture Marketing Minister Sharanabasappa Darshanapur told UNI that the State Government was committed to go ahead with its decision to bring in the amendment.

The Act was envisaged to protect the interests of the farmers and in their larger interest, the Government would not go back on its decision. ''The State Government was also open to talks with the trading community to remove any misgiving about the proposed amendments,'' he added.

A Gulbarga report said the protest evoked good response as trading came to a standstill.

Rashtra Rytha Sangha President Maruthi Manpade told UNI that farmers and merchant joints took out a procession to the market yard and submitted a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister to the market yard president. The memorandum urged the Chief Minister not to amend the Act as it would benefit only the multinationals and be detrimental to the Indian farmers.


UNI

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Statewide bandh by Karnataka traders on Jan 5

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