Mumbai, Jul 6 (FN Agency) Grain, Rice & Oilseeds Merchants’ Association (GROMA) on Tuesday stated that the new law passed by the central government regarding the stock control for pulses is receiving countrywide resistance. Opposing this decision all the major mandis and market yards throughout the country have gone on strike. About ten crore traders from all over the country have expressed strong protest over the recent circular issued by the government on July 2, it asserted.
According to this circular, a limit will be imposed on the quantity of all pulses stored by wholesalers, retailers, millers and importers except for moong dal. The notification dated on 02.07.2021 issued by Centre stated that the stock limit which limits to 200 MT in totality and within that 100 tons of single item is permitted except for Moong dal. This decision has come as a shock to the farmers, pulse traders, shopkeepers, millers, importers and the consumers who will be badly affected by this decision. GROMA President Sharad Kumar Maru strongly opposed this decision and stated that even today the price is less than the MSP in the whole country. The government cancelled the Essential Commodity Act because traders, millers, etc could buy more goods, increasing the demand in the market. As per Prime Minister Narendra Modi vision, this could have resulted in the increased prices of the farmers’ goods entitling them to more profit. PM’s had a brilliant vision that by 2022, farmers would get double the price of their production, which with this circular is not possible now.
Bhimji Bhanushali, GROMA Secretary Navi Mumbai said, “The farmer has to sell the pulses in first three months, out of which the government buys 10 percent of these grains from the farmers at the MSP price. Rest 90 per cent of this produce is bought by the agents, millers, corporates, and traders to help the farmers to sustain for a year until the next yield is ready.” “That’s the reason why this circular for limited stock capacity should not be imposed. This will ruin the farmers and also tarnish our Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reputation in the country as well as the world. Most of the mandis across the country are closed in protest against the stock limit,” he added. “If the order is not cancelled, the mandis across the country may be closed indefinitely. The traders of Navi Mumbai GROMA have strongly opposed this law and urged the government to withdraw this order. All the mandis in the country are protesting against totally unjustified and irrational notification which is also against the vision of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi,” he asserted.