CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, May 17: The food grains traders in the city are unhappy with the government’s decision to impose mandi tax. The decision has been taken by the government to improve the mandi system in Jharkhand.
As traders are refusing to buy edible items from other states in protest of the Jharkhand State Agriculture Produce and Livestock Marketing Bill 2022, Jharkhand is on the verge of a food crisis.
Dheeraj Taneja, President of Federation of Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce & Industries (FJCCI) has stated in an interview that they have decided to halt importing food from other states, including perishable and non-perishable commodities.
“Since April, we’ve tried to voice our problems to the government in many ways. The government, on the other hand, is not in the mood to listen. Until the government cancels the proposed market fee, no trader would place new orders,” he added.
Ashok Kumar, a member of the FJCCI has said that the imposition of mandi tax is a curse for small time traders.
“We have already been facing a lot of problems due to the pandemic and now with the decision to impose Mandi Tax, it is going to be a bad decision by the government. The price of the grains will increase and it will affect everyone’s profit,” he said.
Lagatar24.com tried to contact the secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Aboobacker Siddiqui but there was no response from the other end.
Mandi Tax is a fee on the purchase and sale of agricultural produce. The states and union territories invoke their powers under the constitution to levy it.
Earlier, members of the FJCCI had also held a protest against the government’s decision of imposing tax.
The traders had earlier claimed that Jharkhand is a mining state so the provision does not suit the State. It is suitable for states where agriculture is the main occupation and agro products are traded in mandis.
In a similar incident earlier, the secretary of Singhbhum Chambers of Commerce and Industries (SCCI) Anil Modi had sent a letter to the state government opposing the two percent mandi tax. He stated that the new move will prove to be suicidal for the food grain traders who were already facing recession due to online business.
