Maha minister threatens to dissolve APMCs not implementing

Maharashtra State Marketing Minister Subhash Deshmukh Monday threatened to dissolve agricultural produce market committees in the state if they did not implement the agricultural commodity mortgage scheme.

As part of the scheme, a farmer unhappy with prevailing prices can store his produce at state-owned godowns till prices get favourable.

During this time, he can avail loans by mortgaging his produce.

"Farmers have already mortgaged 2.15 lakh quintal produce and availed loan on it. As many as 138 APMCs in the state have implemented the scheme so far. If any APMC is found refusing mortgage requests from farmers, its board of directors will be dissolved," Deshmukh said.

He said farmers should register complaints with the District Sub-Registrars in case market committees do not give loans on commodity mortgage.

The Agricultural Commodity Mortgage Loan Scheme is implemented by the Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board.

The state government also asked the Centre to set up more procurement centres for moong and urad across the state, a release from the government said.

The arrival of urad and moong has begun in Kharif season of2018, and the state has sent a proposal to the Centre that they be bought at MSP as market prices are currently lesser than MSP.