Karnataka’s first full-fledged private agri market to come up in Chitradurga

BENGALURU: Even as nationwide protests by ryots against the three controversial farm laws continue, the state’s first full-fledged private market on the lines of state-run Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMCs) is set to come up at Hiriyur town in Chitradurga.
Akshaya Food Park Limited, a private firm which has developed a food park at Hiriyur on 106 acres of land since 2010, got the licence in October 2020 to open a private market for trading of farm produce.The company is planning to operationalise it from April.

It’s the first private company to get the licence after the APMC Act was amended by the government last year amid the Covid-19 pandemic, removing restrictions on farmers to sell their produce only at government-run APMC yards besides allowing private players to set up their own markets.
“We are in talks with traders (buyers) to get registered with our market so that we can start trading of agriculture produce from April. We are also publicising our market among farmers. Things are moving in the right direction and hopefully everything will proceed as per our plans,” said M Narayanaswamy, managing director of Akshaya Food Park.
The firm is also mulling starting another market at Jewargi in Kalaburagi district. “We have another food park in Jewargi where we want to open a market. But it depends on how the Hiriyur market pans out,” Narayanaswamy said. The firm has hired a consultant to understand the nitty-gritties of running a parallel market.
Meanwhile, several other private players have also shown interest in utilising the new business opportunity. Enquiries regarding setting up of private markets are increasing day by day but everyone is waiting for the ongoing confrontation between farmers and the central government to get over, according to an official from the department of agriculture marketing, “Since the Centre has offered to keep the three bills, including APMC bill, in abeyance for 18 months to negotiate with the protesting farmers, the private players are on a wait-and-watch mode,” he added.