Tamil Nadu govt amends APMC Act to allow farmers to sell produce freely

The Tamil Nadu government on Tuesday announced the promulgation of an ordinance amending the state Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act 1987 to permit farmers to freely sell their produce.

This will open up the avenues for farmers to sell their produce at e-commerce and modern markets such as Amazon, BigBasket for a better price or in any licenced private market, godowns, and cold storage points. In 2017, the state had brought uniform licence and single point of levy into operation through an amendment.

Gagandeep Singh Bedi, agricultural production commissioner, said: “It may be diluting the importance of the regulated markets, but it is the need of the hour to give the farmers rooms to get better money for the produce.