BANKING TRADE AND COMMERCE

REGULATED MARKETS

History of regulation of markets in Satara district dates from 1941 when the agricultural produce market committee was established at Karad, under authority of the Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act, 1939. It was then followed by the regulation of Koregaon market in 1949, Phaltan in 1952 and Satara in 1953. The Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Karad, has sub-market yards at Umbraj, Masur, Malharpeth and Kole; Satara has sub-market yards at Waduth, Wai and Surul; Koregaon Market Committee has sub-market yard at Rahimatpur; and Phaltan Market Committee has one at Lonand. The Agricultural Produce Market Committee of Karad serves Karad and Patan talukas; that of Satara serves Satara, Wai and Javli talukas; that of Koregaon serves Koregaon taluka only; and that of Phaltan serves Phaltan taluka and Khandala peta. The Khatav and Mahabaleshwar talukas and Man peta are not served by any regulated market.

Market Practices.

Under terms of the Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act of 1939, the method of sales is regulated in the respective market yards. The price of agricultural produce brought into the market is settled by open auction or by open agreement; and no deductions are. made from the agreed price of consignment except for any authorised trade allowance. However, this rule is not: scrupulously observed and deviations are often found. Weighment is done usually by weighmen in the market yards in respect of gul, groundnut, cereals and pulses. However, the buyers sometimes take an opportunity to circumvent the supervision of the market committee over the weighment and the ultimate settlement of the bargain. Usually the payments are made in cash.

Some of the payments, however, are not made in cash but are adjusted against the accounts of the sellers. The sales proceeds are adjusted against the loans taken by the producer from the merchants. Prior to the establishment of regulated markets, merchants used to make numerous deductions from the sales proceeds on account of a multiplicity of market charges, viz., dharmadaya, goshala and temple charges, kasar, etc. By and large, this practice disappeared from the establishment of regulated markets. The recognised market charges cover taxes, toll, cess, commission or brokerage and weighment charges. This has reduced the burden on the agricultural sellers.

A market committee is a corporate body and is responsible for the management and supervision of regulated markets. It is composed of members elected from among the constituencies of farmers and traders and government nominated members. Among the nominated members, may be the Marketing Inspector of the district, a taluka Mamlatdar or any citizen bent upon doing social work. However, sometimes it happens that though the representatives of the agriculturists are in majority some of them are influenced and won over by the traders. The Marketing Inspector is sometimes subordinate. Such things and many others adversely affect the cause of the agriculturist and defeat the very purpose of regulation, viz., the adoption of particular methods of sale and the settlement of disputes through market committee.

The following is a description of the operations of the four agricultural produce market committees in this district.

The regulated market at Karad was established in 1944.

Karad

Under terms of the Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act of 1939, the commodities regulated were gul, groundnuts, tur, mug, chillies, onions, jowar, bajri and coriander.

Besides a principal market yard at Karad, there are sub-market yards each one at Umbraj, Masur, Malharpeth and Kole. The market area comprises Karad and Patan talukas. The Karad Market Committee acquired outside the town a site measuring twenty-five acres which would serve as market yard.

The following table gives the statistics of volume of trade handled by the Karad Market Committee in 1957-58:-

The volume of trade handled at Karad market and its sub-market yards in 1958 was as under:-

Satara.

The Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act of 1939, was made applicable to the Satara market from June 1962 and the market committee was established in 1953. Market Committee consists of representatives of the agriculturists, traders and nominees of the Government and local authorities, and has jurisdiction over Waduth, Wai and Surul sub-market yards. Its jurisdiction extends over Satara, Javli and Wai talukas.

The following regulated commodities are handled at this market: groundnut (shelled and unshelled), coriander, turmeric, gram, gul, onions, tur, etc. The accompanying tables give, firstly, the volume of business transacted by the Satara Market Committee and, secondly, the volume of exports from Satara market.:—

TABLE No. 23.

VOLUME OF TRADE IN THE VARIOUS COMMODITIES AT THE SATARA MARKET.

contd.

VOLUME, VALUE AND DESTINATION OF EXPORTS FROM SATARA MARKET.

The Committee collects licence fees from traders, commission agents, weighmen and coolies; and market cess on the sale of the various regulated commodities.

Koregaon.

Under the terms of the Bombay Agricultural Produce Markets Act of 1939, Koregaon was declared a regulated market from March 1949. The commodities regulated were groundnut, groundnut kernels, coriander, jowar, bajri, gul, tur, mug, chawali, gram and chillies. The principal market yard is at Koregaon, while there is a sub-market yard at Rahimatpur. Koregaon Market Committee which was established in October 1950, has jurisdiction over the whole of Koregaon taluka.

The Koregaon Market Committee provides for the notification of prices prevailing at Sangli, Karad, Satara and encourages the agriculturists to sell their commodities on the market yard in an unadulterated and standardised form. Open auctions are made under supervision of an official of the market committee which prescribes that weighments should be made only by licenced weighmen. It collects licence fees from the ' A' and ' B' class traders, commission agents, weighmen and levies a market cess on the sale of the regulated commodities.

The following table gives the volume of trade in the various regulated commodities in 1957-58: —

TABLE No. 24.

VOLUME AND VALUE OF THE COMMODITIES HANDLED AT KOREGAON MARKET.

The Phaltan market was regulated in 1952, and accordingly gul, onions, safflower, jowar, bajri and wheat were regulated. The market area comprised Phaltan taluka and Khandala peta. Phaltan is the principal market yard, while Lonand is a sub-market yard. Phaltan.

The commodities are sold under the system of open auction which is made obligatory. The market committee collects adat, hamali, licence fee, market cess and weighment charges according to the bye-laws. Collection of charity, sut, etc., is prohibited.

The following table gives the volume and value of the arrivals of regulated commodities in the Phaltan market in 1957-58 :—

TABLE No. 25.

VOLUME AND VALUE OF THE COMMODITIES HANDLED AT

PHALTAN MARKET.

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