Market fee draws Solan traders’ ire

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, July 12

Wholesale traders in Solan are up in arms against the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) for re-imposing the market fee on various poultry and agro products such as eggs, milk, sugar, jaggery, pulses, etc, sold outside the APMCs.

The government had suspended the Himachal Pradesh Agriculture and Horticulture Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act, 2005, which allows the government to collect the market fee, after the enactment of the three Central farm laws last year.

The fee was, however, re-imposed after the Supreme Court stayed the implementation of the Central laws on January 12 and all state governments were directed by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to comply with the directions.

The Solan Beopar Mandal today met Urban Development Minister Suresh Bhardwaj in Shimla along with representatives of the Sirinagar grain mandi and urged him to do away with the market fee on various poultry and agro products sold by the wholesale traders operating outside the APMCs.

Mukesh Gupta, president, Solan Beopar Mandal, said, “It is not fair to impose 1 per cent market fee on essential commodities such as milk, lentil, jaggery and sugar, which are neither produced locally, nor sold at the mandis. After the implementation of the GST, it is not fair to charge another state level levy from traders operating outside the APMCs.”

He said, “If traders are asked to seek licence for the fee, then they should also be granted a shop in the APMC.” Traders had heaved a sigh of relief when the fee was suspended after the Central farm laws were enacted but its re-imposition entails an undue monetary burden. The issue had also been taken up before the Chief Minister in February but it had failed to yield any result.

The APMCs collect the fee on the check posts erected on national highways. Mukesh Gupta said they were hopeful of a positive solution as the minister had assured them.