Gujarat Agriculture Produce Market (Amendment) Bill passed

Gandhinagar, Mar 29 (UNI) Ruling BJP and Opposition Congress today unanimously passed the Gujarat Agriculture Produce Markets (Amendment) Bill-2007 in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly here.

While introducing the Bill in the House, Gujarat Agriculture Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasma said the Bill will benefit the poor and marginal farmers of their produces through contract farmings.

Mr Chudasma said in the WTO regime, contract farming has revolutionsed the farming in many countries of the world. It will enable the small and marginal farmers to get benefits of certain crops which were otherwise not possible on small scale farming of certain high beneficiary crops.

He said Gujarat is the 19th state in India which has introduced the Bill.

The Bill also seeks to allow direct access to agriculture produce through contract farming agro processors and exporters and value addition centres.

The Bill provides for a single point levy only in respect of produce procured by processors, exporters and value addition centres, the minister said.

While taking part in debate in the House, Congress Leader of Opposition Arjun Modhwadia welcoming the Bill said it should have been introduced earlier.

Mr Modhwadia said the Bill will help in quality improvement at production level rather than improvement of quality at value addition stage. Thus the farmers will gain benefits of prices than traders.

UNI