Merchants' body seeks pvt status for Mumbai APMC

The grain, rice and oilseed merchant's association has asked the state government to convert Mumbai APMC markets into a `private market yard' to provide a level-playing field with powerful Indian multinationals and foreign retail chains.

"Under the APMC Act, state government can notify all the markets of APMC such as grains, pulses, oilseeds in Navi Mumbai as one private market yard, " association president Sharadkumar Maru said at Western India Trade Conference.

Notably, big corporate houses and multinationals, through the introduction of model act for Agriculture Produce Marketing (regulation) (amendment) Act, 2005, are now enabled to directly purchase agriculture produce of farmers.

The traders have, in the last 15 years paid APMC cess amounting to crores of rupees and expect no discrimination as against other private players, he said.