Farm Bills: What is Principal Market Yard and what are its implications?

Team Udayavani, Sep 27, 2020, 1:16 PM IST

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers staged a protest against Prime Minister Narendra Modi across nine constituencies of Ludhiana district to oppose three farm ordinances passed by the Centre.

AAP leader Ahbaab Grewal asked chief minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, to immediately declare the state as a ‘principal market yard’ for agricultural produce so that the recently passed farm bills do not apply in the state.

As reported by Indian Express, according to Punjab Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act, there are three types of yards under the Punjab Mandi Board (PMB), Principal Market Yard, Sub Yard and Purchase centres.

The report further states, As per APMC Act, the PMB has 151 principal market yards, 287 sub yards and over 1,400 small mandis or purchase centres.

The small mandis have temporary arrangements of minimum civic amenities during the procurement season.

It will make an orderly marketing system of agricultural produce through the development of infrastructural facilities like link roads to villages from the regulated markets, storage, credit facilities, input facilities etc., in the market complex.

If the entire state is declared as Principal market Yard then purchaser has to pay the same taxes outside the PMB yards even in a private trade area.