28 February 2024, Maharashtra: Maharashtra always had a law to enforce MSP but has been never fully implemented. As per the APMC ACT of 1964 (32D), It shall be the duty of the Market Committee to make such arrangements and to take such steps as may be prescribed to prevent the purchase of agricultural produce in the market area below the support price fixed by the Government.
APMC RULES, 1967, 94D mentions the power to take steps to prevent purchases of agricultural produce below support price. – (1) The Market Committee shall be competent to make arrangements and to take steps to prevent purchases of agricultural produce in the market area below the support price fixed by the Government. For this purpose, the officers and employees of the Market Committee shall keep a watch on the sales of agricultural produce in respect of which the Government has declared support price. The officer or the employee who notices that the agricultural produce has been sold or is being sold at a price lower than the support price, shall forthwith bring the fact to the notice of the Secretary. The Secretary shall immediately make inquiries and take such preventive steps as he deems fit and inform the Chairman.
(2) The Chairman shall inform the Collector, the District Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies, and the local officer of the Agent appointed by the Government about the fact of sales below support price and the preventive steps taken by the Secretary on this behalf and request him to open a purchasing center or to make arrangements to purchase the agricultural produce at support price immediately by making necessary arrangements for the purpose. The Collector and the District Deputy Registrar of Co-operative Societies shall direct and assist the local officer on this behalf.
(3) It shall be competent for the Market Committee to suspend or cancel the license of the person who purchases the agricultural produce below support price if he is a licensed person and to prosecute him for contravention of sections 6 and 7 of the Act if he is not a licensed person.
