Maharashtra Will Amend State Farm Law To Protect Farmers, APMCs: Thorat

Mumbai: State Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said that the Maharashtra government will amend its agriculture law to protect farmers and APMCs as the three central agriculture laws are not in the interest of farmers.

The draft law will be tabled in the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly beginning July 5.

Thorat took the development after meeting NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence today.

“We want to amend the state agriculture law as we feel that the Union government’s agriculture laws are not in the interest of farmers. The proposed amendments will ensure the protection of Agriculture Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs), redressal of grievances of farmers and protection of the interests of agriculturists during the crop trade among others. We will also insert a provision mandating license for traders which was not there in the Central laws,” PTI quoted Thorat as saying.

Thorat met Pawar along with State Cooperation Minister Balasaheb Patil, Agriculture Minister Dadaji Dagadu Bhuse and Minister of State for Agriculture and Co-operation Vishwajit Kadam to discuss the draft law.

The Center’s new law on cooperative banking was also discussed during the meeting and Thorat said that the new law would harm the cooperative sector.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the government is ready to talk to farmers on “options other than agriculture bills”.

The last meeting between farmers and the central government was held on January 22.

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