Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday underlined the importance of safeguarding farmers’ interests and preserving the rights of agricultural market committee members, as the state looks to align its market infrastructure with the Centre’s National Agricultural Market (e-NAM) initiative.
Speaking at a high-level meeting focused on agricultural market committees, Pawar highlighted that these bodies play a crucial role in ensuring farmers have a secure and efficient platform to sell their produce. “The primary objective of market committees should be to protect the interests of farmers and contribute to their economic upliftment,” he said, according to a statement from his office.
Pawar noted that committee members, as elected representatives, are the voice of the farming community and various societal groups. “Preserving their rights is essential not only for agriculture but also for overall societal welfare,” he added.
The Deputy CM emphasized that strengthening market committees will lead to improved efficiency and greater empowerment of farmers. A proposal has already been submitted to the state government to amend the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development and Regulation) Act, 1963. The move aims to bring the legislation in line with the Centre’s push to establish a unified National Agricultural Market.
Under the central government's plan, existing market committees may either be upgraded or replaced by nationally recognised bodies, with nominated members appointed by the government. However, Pawar stressed that any changes at the state level must be made only after proper consultation with farmers’ representatives.
During the meeting, Pawar also addressed issues affecting the trading and industrial sectors. He assured that the state would take into account suggestions made by trade associations and represent their concerns at the upcoming GST Council meeting.
The Deputy CM instructed relevant departments to crack down on criminal activities such as extortion, in order to ensure law and order and foster a safe business environment. He also called for a more streamlined implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), promising steps to reduce trader harassment, improve tax collection systems, and prevent evasion.
