APMCs to make online Payments to Farmers

State Cooperation and Marketing Minister Subhash Deshmukh  directed the Agriculture Produce Market Committees (APMC) across the state to make online payments to farmers after their produce are auctioned. The Minister also directed APMCs to cancel licenses of traders who fail to pay the farmers after buying their produce. Deshmukh Chaired a review meeting of the State Co-operative and Marketing Department of Nashik district in the city.

The directives of the Minister come after an incident where cheques given by some traders in Umrane APMC to the farmers were dishonored. This forced the farmers to protest at the APMC around a week ago.

Deshmukh also said that farmers who could not apply for loan waiver due to some reasons can apply online by March 31. During the meeting, it came to the fore that assistant registrars (ARs) of co-operatives department, who are officially directors of the APMCs, are not attending the meeting of APMC board of directors. The Minister directed Assistant Registrars (co-operatives) to regularly attend the meeting. “ARs would be held responsible if anything wrong happens in the APMCs. They would be accountable if any financial irregularities occur,” he warned.

Currently, there are no offices to ARs. Hence, Deshmukh directed DDR Nilkanth Kare to set up offices of ARs at taluka level. Moreover, the minister said, “ARs will have to submit their attendance and minutes of the meetings of the directorial boards of the APMCs on the website.”

He also instructed Vividh Vikas Karyakari Sahakari Societies to strengthen themselves and create their own funds. Presently, District Credit Co-operative Banks in the state are providing loans to farmers through Vividh Vikas Societies.

“We have made some changes in Cooperatives Act to protect the interests of deposit-holders, and stability of funds is to be created for this purpose. Government has also decided to set up regulatory boards to regulate co-operative institutes,” said Deshmukh.

He also expressed the need for Vividh Vikas Karyakari Sahakari Societies to explore new income sources in villages.