Bengaluru: Either impose uniform market fee at APMC yards or abolish it

Bengaluru: The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday demanded that the State government either impose a uniform market fee at Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee yards or abolish it.

The traders are upset with the government's decision on December 16 to hike the market fees at APMC yards across Karnataka from 0.35 per cent to one per cent.

A delegation of traders, led by FKCCI president Perikal M Sundar called on Minister for Cooperation S T Somashekhar and submitted a memorandum, putting forth their various demands, including the hike in market fees.

The FKCCI said in a statement later that it demanded either a uniform market fee or its abolition.

"Allow a level playing field for the traders, who trade in the APMC market yard as well as outside APMC market yard by fixing the same market fees. Otherwise abolish the entire market fee for all traders," the statement read. The APMC stakeholders in FKCCI pointed out that the Government has increased the market fee to one per cent by assuming that it will yield higher income. "However, if the Government levies the same market fee of 0.35 per cent to traders who trade outside the APMC market yard, the income will be doubled," the statement read.

The FKCCI said Somashekhar assured them he would raise the issue in the December 28 cabinet meeting APMC office-bearers had observed a bandh and staged demonstrations at various APMC yards on December 22 against the hike in the market fees.