Marketing committees in Andhra Pradesh on the recovery path

KADAPA: The Supreme Court’s stay order on the implementation of new agricultural laws, proposed by the Union Government, has come as a breather to market committees, across the state. Until a few months back, all market committees that were facing problems due to complete closure of revenue streams, were in a gradual recovery path and also began collecting agricultural market cess.

Springing back to life were the 122 market committee check posts that were closed last year, including those at Kadapa, Chittoor, Anantapur and Kurnool districts. They were also generating income to AMCs, which till sometime back were unable to pay even minimum wages because of the new laws. Cess collection was at a standstill.

With the nod given to levy cess on agricultural products, and livestock transport, marketing department officials are delighted.

Six of the 122 check posts were caught in staff crunch, while the remaining worked till April.

The new rules meant that they could charge one per cent user charges on transactions made only in the market yard premises. However, not all farmers came to market committees.

Lavanya Pasula, regional director of marketing, Kadapa, told Deccan Chronicle that the state government has set a revenue target of Rs 95 crore for the 2019-20 financial year and they had almost achieved the target. They fell short because of coronavirus in the 202-21 financial year. She said that Kadapa, Kurnool, Chittoor and Anantapur districts have opened 122 check posts, which are levying cess on transportation of agricultural products. Until the end of last month, the Kadapa region generated revenue of Rs six crore, she said.

She said the state government has not yet set financial targets for the current financial year, but the target is likely to be around Rs 100 crore.