APMC (Regulation) (Amendment) Bill passed unanimously

Bangalore, July 23 (UNI) Karnataka Legislative Council today unanimously passed The Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) (Amendment) Bill 2007.

The Bill enables setting up of Private Marketing Yards and taking up Contract Farming among others was already approved in the Lower house.

Speaking on the Bill, Minister for Agriculture Marketing Sharanabasappa Darshanapur said that the amendment was aimed at helping the farmers to get remunerative prices for their products which was already in force in many other states in the country.

Opposition Leader H K Patil speaking on the discussion has suggested the government, to ensure that the cess collected from the trading of the farm products should be remitted to the Farmers Welfare Fund and not to the Government Treasury as envisaged in the Bill.

He said that the Bill may pave way for forming new Markets as per liberalisation but the true spirit on which the APMC Act was originally enacted should be maintained.

Several other members including Mr V S Ugrappa, Veeranna Mathikatti (both Cong), Mr M P Nada Gouda, Mr Marithibbe Gouda also participated in the discussion before the amendment bill was put to voice vote and passed unanimously.

UNI