BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE

REGULATED MARKETS.

The regulation of markets in Bombay State as a whole was undertaken according to the revised Post-war Reconstruction Scheme No. 68 brought into operation from 1st August 1947. According to the plan it was proposed to regulate at least half the number of markets on the basis of one major market at each tahsil centre, within a period of 5 years ending 31st March 1952. The plan aimed at "securing to the cultivator better prices, fairer weighments and freedom from illegal deductions," as expeditiously as possible.

Towards the end of 1947, Government declared its policy of progressive decontrol of prices and movement of foodgrains from one place to another. It was then possible to accelerate the pace of regulation of markets. The field of regulation of markets was also enlarged on the merger of all Deccan and Gujrat States with the Indian Union.

The Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1939, [This Act was not applicable to Chandrapur but only to the districts in Old Bombay State.] aimed to provide for the better regulation of buying and selling of agricultural produce and the establishment of markets for the proper disposal of agricultural produce in the Province of Bombay. According to this Act, for each market area there is one principal market yard and one or more sub-market yards, as may be necessary. The State Government creates a market committee for every market area in respect of the agricultural produce for which the said area is declared to be a market area. It is the duty of the market committee to enforce the provisions of this Act, the conditions of a licence granted and the rules and byelaws made under this Act in such market area and when so required to establish a market therein, providing for such facilities as the Government may from time to time direct in connection with the purchase and sale of the agricultural produce concerned. The market committee is empowered to issue licences in accordance with the rules to traders, commission agents, brokers, weighmen, measurers, surveyors, warehousemen and other persons to operate in the market.

The market committee is constituted of the following categories of members, viz.,

(1) Persons elected by the agriculturists or other organisations in the said area in the manner prescribed.

(2) Persons elected by the traders approved by the market committee,

(3) Elected by local authorities.

All monies received by a market committee are paid into a fund to be called "the market committee fund" and all expenditure incurred by the market committee under or for the purposes of this Act is defrayed out of the said fund.

Although there were a few important wholesale markets in Chandrapur district, the trade in them was not regulated. The farmers or cultivators, therefore, could not get due returns for their produce. They were entirely at the mercy of the buyers and more so of the middlemen who used to earn maximum profit. The malpractices followed by the chain of middlemen left the agriculturists poor. There was no protection for their price and no organised effort whereby they could exercise their right in fixing the prices of their produce. It was very essential to put a stop to this state of things. Under a special Act known as the Central Provinces and Berar Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1935, the then Government sought to regulate trade in agricultural produce. The trade in cotton was regulated even before, that is, in 1932 by the Cotton Markets Act. The main object of the Acts was to regulate the total turnover of the various agricultural commodities coming to these merkets with an ultimate view of benefiting the agriculturists. The commodities regulated under these Acts were paddy, jowar, oilseeds, including linseed, castor oil, rape, mustard, pulses, cotton, etc.

Both these Acts, viz., the Central Provinces and Berar Agricultural Produce Market Act. 1935 and the Central Provinces and Berar Cotton Marker Act. 1932, were amended by Acts of 1936 and 1937. respectively. The Acts aim at establishing equity in the bargaining power of agriculturists and merchants, promoting mutual confidence, preventing mal-practices, and giving a fair deal to the farmers. The Acts seek to regulate various features of agricultural marketing in regulated markets. The main features of the Acts arc regulation of market practices, clear definition of market charge and reduction of excessive charges, licensing of market functionaries of buyers, brokers and weighmen, use of standard weights and measures, settlement of disputes, appointment of marker committees representing growers, traders, local authority and Government, publishing of reliable and up-to-date market information. Government control over markets and market committees.

The Acts provide for the establishment of market committees consisting of not less than ten and not more than 16 members. The commodities that are regulated are specified in the Act, and all transactions in these commodities outside the purview of the regulated market are prohibited. In this district the commodities regulated are paddy, iowar, oilseeds and so on and the markets where regulation is in force are Chandrapur, Warora, Gadhchiroli, Mul, Armori, Sindewahi, Nagbhir, Brahmapuri and Wadsa. These markets are under the control of the marketing committees which provide marketing facilities to traders. Of these committees only three committees have been functioning, the remaining did not start their operation till 1965.

The dates of establishment of the nine market committees are given below: -

They were regulated under the Central Provinces and Berar Agricultural Produce Market Act, 1935, and the Cotton Markets Act, 1932. The supervision and control over these markets at district level is entrusted to the Zilla Parishad. Till the enforcement of the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act of 1963, in 1967 the old Acts were in force.

Out of the nine committees only three committees, viz., those at Warora, Mul and Armori have commenced working. The remaining six committees had not started their working as their schedules of market fees were not fixed then.

The three market committees had commenced working in anticipation of the approval from Government of the schedule of market fees. The marketing committees have been described below-

Warora.

Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Warora. This Committee was established in July, 1960 and started its work in April, 1963. The land for market and establishment was allotted to it by the Government at the time of the notification. The commodities regulated in the market include rice, jowar, cotton, etc.

The income of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee of Warora for the year 1965-66 was Rs. 15,207 which comprised Rs. 8,260 as market fees, Rs. 3,938 as licence fees and Rs. 3,009 as miscellaneous income. Its expenditure during the same period, however, amounted to Rs. 16,174, comprising establishment expenditure of Rs. 7,040 and other expenditure of Rs. 9,184, incurring a total loss of Rs. 967. The total arrivals in the market during the same period were 1,43,224 quintals valued at Rs. 1,95,66,075. Of these 10,115 quintals valued at Rs. 5,15,865 came through the Purchase and Sale Co-operative Society, Ltd., Warora.

The Warora Market Committee has excellent transport facilities, because Warora is situated on the Delhi-Madras Railway line and also on the Nagpur-Chandrapur road. The warehousing facilities are provided by the Maharashtra Warehousing Corporation, which has constructed a warehouse at Warora.

Mul.

Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Mul. The Agricultural Produce Market Committee was established at Mul on 31st December 1960. But it started its work on 7th May 1965. This was done in anticipation of the Government's approval of the schedule of market fees. The commodities regulated in the market comprised mainly paddy and jowar. They were regulated as per the Central Provinces Agricultural Produce Market Act at the time of notification. The land for the establishment of the market committee was also allotted at the time of notification by the Government.

During 1965-66, the receipts of the market committee amounted to Rs. 1,920 comprising Rs. 770 as market fees, Rs. 150 as fees for issuing licences to the traders and Rs. 1,000 as earnings from miscellaneous items. The expenditure, on the other hand, amounted to Rs. 3,585, inclusive of Rs. 2,270 as expenditure over establishment and Rs. 814 as other expenditure. The market committee, thus, sustained a loss of Rs. 1,665 during the year. This was due to the fact that the committee, like the Agricultural Produce Market Committee at Warora, had commenced working before its schedule of market fees was approved by the Government. whereas it was not in a position to recover the fees through various measures. The committee received Rs 2,000 by way of a subsidy from the Government for the maintenance of staff, publicity and propaganda.

The total agricultural produce arrived in the market amounted to 9.385 quintals valued at Rs. 6,62.252 during 1965-66. Of these. 6.834 quintals valued at Rs. 3.75,334 arrived through the Purchase and Sale Co-operative Society at Mul. The co-operative marketing society dealt with 6.700 quintals of paddy valued at Rs. 3.68.500 and 134 quintals of jowar valued at Rs. 6,834, during 1965 66.

The location of the village Mul is very convenient as far as the transportation of agricultural produce is concerned. The village does not have any warehousing facility.

Armori.

Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Armori. This Market Committee was established on 9th January 1960 at Armori. It was allotted land by the Government at the time of its notification. The commodities arrived in the market consist mostly of paddy and jowar. The village Armori is not located suitably so far as transportation of goods is concerned. It is not a rail-head and there is no main road passing from it. However, a road under construction from Wadsa to Armori, is likely to facilitate easy transport and increase the trade of the place.

The Committee started its work on 1st April 1965, in the same way as the other two committees described above did, that is in anticipation of an approval from Government of its schedule of market fees. Since its inception the total arrival of agricultural produce in the market amounted to 20,218 quintals valued at Rs. 16,89,493, during 1965.

The total receipts of the market committee during 1965-66 were Rs. 6,407 including Rs. 3,095 as market fees, Rs. 1,275 as licence fees and Rs. 2,037 as earnings on miscellaneous items. The expenditure, on the other hand, came to Rs. 6,407, of which Rs 1,777 were for establishment, Rs. 979 for other items and Rs. 3,651 were surplus. Due to its economical working, the committee did not run into loss but made some profit. In addition, the committee received Rs. 2,000 as assistance from the Government by way of a subsidy. Rs. 1,500 for the supervision of staff and Rs. 500 for publicity and propaganda. The market has no warehousing facility.

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