MUMBAI, April 15: Traders across Maharashtra observed a total bandh in all the 282 Agriculture Produce Markets (APMs) today protesting the state government's new amendment to the APM Act to levy service charges on traders instead of the agriculturist.Over 30,000 traders from all over the state converged at Azad Maidan this afternoon to mark their protest. In a memorandum submitted to the government later in the day, the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra which had called for the bandh stated that the trading community will not comply with the new amendment till May 1, 1998. The new amendment would prove costly for the consumers, said FAM president Mohan Gurnani. "There will be an increase of at least eight to 12 per cent in the retail prices of the APM products," he observed."Right now the seller or agriculturist pays for the service charges but after the amendment the trader will have to pay for services which include weighing, transporting, storage and brokerage. The trader, in turn, will liketo recover it from the consumer," said Gurnani.Gurnani said a committee of representatives of trade organisations, APMC had already been constituted under the chairmanship of the Minister for Co-operation, to study the proposed amendments and make suitable suggestions. Also, the committee members are scheduled to meet the state government officials on Thursday at Mantralaya.
