Amendment to APMC Act to help farmers: Minister

Mysore, July 29 (UNI) Karnataka Agriculture Minister Bandeppa Kashempur today said the amendment to the Agricultural Product Marketing Committee (APMC) Act was aimed at helping farmers.

Speaking to newspersons here, he said steps to amend the Act were taken after a careful study. It would provide suitable prices to the farmers' produces by avoiding middlemen, he claimed.

''Of course, there will be opposition from some sections to the Act. However, more or less, all the farming communities in the state have supported the Act whole heartedly,'' he claimed.

Mr Kashempur said the state government had released Rs 88 crore towards subsidy to small and medium farmers for purchase of seeds.

Last year, the government had released Rs 87 crore for the purpose.

Referring to the Centre's proposed Seed Act, he said the state government had submitted its suggestions and views to the Union Government. He would convene a meeting of top officials of the Agriculture Department to study the issue further, he added.

UNI