Maharashtra govt waives APMC fees for Nafed, NCCF onion procurement

Nashik: State govt has waived the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) fees for two central agencies — National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (Nafed) and the National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India (NCCF) — to facilitate onion procurement in Maharashtra. The waiver is intended to reduce transaction costs and facilitate smoother procurement operations.As per APMC norms, traders or buyers are required to pay a market fee of 0.75% on the total transaction value. This translates to 75 paise for every Rs 100 worth of onion procurement. For instance, a purchase worth Rs 1 lakh attracts a market fee of Rs 750.In a communication to the state marketing department, the cooperation, marketing and textiles ministry directed implementation of the decision. “Appropriate action should be taken to implement the exemption on onion procurement carried out under the price stabilisation fund (PSF) scheme through Nafed and NCCF,” the communication stated.The move follows directions issued after a review meeting chaired by Union home and cooperation minister Amit Shah, focusing on issues faced by onion farmers. Under the PSF scheme, Nafed and NCCF have been tasked with procuring directly from farmers at APMCs across Maharashtra.The decision comes in the wake of a high-level meeting held on May 27, attended by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Pralhad Joshi, deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar, along with senior officials. The meeting approved direct procurement through APMCs, prompting the state to waive market fees to support the process.However, despite the push, procurement at APMCs has not yet commenced. Nafed officials said they are awaiting formal clearance from the Union consumer affairs ministry. “We have opened 18 procurement centres in Nashik district, where procurement will be undertaken through cooperative agencies. Procurement at the APMCs will begin once approvals are received,” officials said.Similarly, NCCF officials confirmed that groundwork has begun but key instructions are pending. “We have set up 11 procurement centres in the district and more are likely to be opened soon. However, we are yet to receive instructions from the head office or the Union consumer affairs ministry regarding procurement directly at APMCs,” they said.Meanwhile, the Union consumer affairs ministry has set a June 30 deadline to procure 2 lakh tonnes of onions, with Nafed and NCCF assigned 1 lakh tonnes each, adding urgency to operationalise procurement channels on the ground.