New agriculture reforms 'win-win' for farmers

Hyderabad: Do you have a PAN card? Are you an individual or a housing welfare society? Then, here is how you can either start your own business or make purchases of vegetables, fruits and other commodities for all the residents of your society in any Agriculture Market Committee-run yards selling fruits, vegetables and other commodities.

Courtesy, the recently enacted farm reforms Act that allows farmers to sell their farm produce anywhere in the country. It may be mentioned here that until recently farmers have to bring the fruits, vegetables and other commodities cultivated to the designated AMCs to sell their produce.

The AMCs run by the politically appointed bosses have been facing allegations of being hand in glove with the wholesalers, commission agents and forming cartels. In turn, artificially controlling the prices of various commodities farmers bring to the AMCs. For long, it helped only those who had the licences to lift the stocks and to sell the same in the open markets.

The new reform allows any citizen with a PAN card without paying any fee to the AMCs can enter the market and purchase fruits, vegetables and other commodities without paying any fee.

Secunderabad MP, and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, G Kishan Reddy said that the farm reforms have opened doors for the farmers. They can sell their agriculture produce, anywhere in the country, without paying any fee to anyone.

In turn, people who can make small investments and wants to start their own vegetable and furit business can lift stocks offering reasonable price to the farmers. They can lift stocks either from the market yards or from the fields of the farmers.

Universities, colleges, private-run hostels, corporates and a host of other entities also can now purchase vegetables, fruits and other required items directly from the farmers without the hassles of middlemen.

That apart, the large residential welfare associations can directly enter into an arrangement with the farmers cultivating various vegetables and fruits for supply on a weekly and monthly basis. The agri-business startups too have an ample space open for lifting stocks directly from the farmers.

Kishan Reddy said that the Centre rolled out the Prime Minister Street Vendor's Atma Nirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi) scheme. It provides small loans of up to Rs 10,000 to the street vendors from the banks. The Centre has a set target to provide loans to about two lakh street vendors in the Hyderabad city alone. All that a street vendor need is an identity card from the GHMC, he added.

Further, the right of farmers to sell to anyone and anywhere helps even for the street vendors engaged in selling vegetables, fruits, flowers etc. To directly make purchases based on their daily and weekly required stocks from the farmers. Doing away with the cumbersome rules and regulations restricting farmers on different fronts with the new reforms will give them the choice of where to sell and whom to sell, Kishan Reddy said.