Rajasthan Agricultural Produce Market (Amendment) Bill, 2022 | 22 Sep 2022

Why In News?

• On September 21, 2022, the Rajasthan Assembly passed the Rajasthan Agricultural Produce Market (Amendment) Bill, 2022 by voice vote. Minister of State for Agriculture Marketing Murarilal Meena had introduced the bill in the House.

Key Points

• Minister of State Murarilal Meena, in his reply after the discussion on the bill, said that this new bill has been brought to deal with the situation arising out of three agricultural laws brought by the central government. After the repeal of the central laws, the earlier situation is being brought into existence again through this law. Also, trading of non-notified agricultural produce and food products has been facilitated in agricultural markets.
• Murarilal Meena said that due to the central government's farm laws, the mandi fees and farmer welfare fees collected by the mandi committees had come down significantly. Prior to the introduction of these laws, agricultural market committees earned a revenue of Rs 665 crore in the year 2019-20.
• After the new central agricultural laws came into existence, their revenue receipt fell to Rs 562 crore in the year 2020-21 and Rs 424 crore in the year 2021-22. This has adversely affected the basic development of mandis.
• He said that after the notification of withdrawal of Central Agricultural Laws was issued, a review meeting was held under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister on January 24, 2022, in which, after consultation with the trade boards and farmer representatives, it was decided to make arrangements in the mandis as before. taken.
• He informed that the State Government is giving grant up to Rs. one crore for setting up of agro processing units and infrastructure development through farmer welfare fee.
• The Minister of State informed that along with the notified commodities in the agricultural mandis, non-notified agricultural produce is also traded. Keeping this in mind, a new section 17B has been added to provide better facilities to the traders for trading of non-notified agricultural produce and food products within the market yard. Only 0.25 per cent duty has been levied on these items, whereas in many states including Uttar Pradesh this duty is more than one percent.