The new system of the collecting cess introduced by the Agriculture Produce Market Committee’s (APMC) market yard in the city seems to be not going down well with the traders and buyers. The traders are highlighting that the new system is impacting their trade while the buyers are finding it time consuming. About four months back, the APMC has made it mandatory for the buyers to pay the applicable cess on the agricultural produce at its counter inside the yard. After paying the cess, the buyers have to collect the gate pass. But earlier, the traders used to collect the cess on behalf of the APMC and give green colour receipts to the buyers which was as good as gate pass. A delegation of the traders, under the banner of The Wholesale Grain and Seeds Merchants Association met N P Yaglewad, Additional Registrar and Secretary of Agriculture Produce Market Committee, Nagpur, and raised issues related to the new system.

 

Secretary of association Pratap Motwani told the APMC official that the new system is not working well. “It is very inconvenient and time consuming for the buyers to stand in the long queue to pay the cess. It is nothing but repetition of work. Moreover, Many buyers, who shy away from standing in the queues, avoid visiting the markets which is eventually affecting the trade,” he said. Motwani also said that many cases of theft have been reported when the buyers leave their agricultural produce in front of the APMC office to stand in the queue to pay the cess. It was also observed that the sellers have been also selling their agricultural produce outside the APMC market. Ideally, the farmers or traders should bring the agricultural produce in the market, pay the cess and then it can be sold in the markets outside the APMC. But Motiwani said that the new system is discouraging the sellers to come to the APMC market. “It is also a big revenue loss for the APMC,” he pointed out. Ramesh Umathe, Jayesh Shah and Vijay Gandhi, who were also part of the visiting delegation, raised other issues like the pathetic condition of internal roads, toilets in the market yard, and street lights. “The APMC should also immediately take steps to remove heaps of garbage lying inside the yard, They said. Yaglewad gave a patient hearing to the grievances of the traders and buyers. He also assured to take all possible steps to streamline the system. At the outset, the delegation gave a floral bouquet to Yaglewad who has recently taken over the charge of Secretary of the APMC, Nagpur.