RAJ KUMAR
Ranchi, Feb.13: Jharkhand is heading towards crisis of fruit and vegetables besides food grain as those dealing in these items are adamant to proceed on indefinite strike to protest against the Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Act from February 15 and the government so far has taken no initiative to stop them from doing so.
As many 1.5 lakh businessmen associated with 28 wholesale markets are likely to proceed on the strike. As they proceed on strike, retailers will hardly be able to fulfil the demand for a week. After that there will be a crisis of food grains, vegetables and fruits. It will cause a price hike.
Federation of Jharkhand Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FJCCI) president Kishore Mantri confirmed the situation but, at the same time, he said that the strike is the need of the hour.
“The Act which the government wants to implement in the state is neither in the interest of farmers nor in the interest of businessmen and common people. It is an attempt to give government officials an opportunity to harass businessmen” Mantri said.
The Act came into existence on February 3, 2023 after Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais gave his approval to the ‘Jharkhand State Agricultural Produce and Livestock Marketing Bill-2022’ passed by the Jharkhand Assembly on March 24, 2022.
The Act allows the state to levy two percent agricultural market tax mainly from buyers and one percent tax on agricultural produce that is destroyed immediately.
Apart from this, the Act talks about private participation in agricultural marketing and providing more market options to the farmers.
