RAS question
The Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act relates to:
Correct answer: (B) Regulation of marketing of agricultural produce.
The Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act relates to the regulation of marketing of agricultural produce.
Explanation
APMC Acts are state-level laws for regulating how agricultural produce is marketed. Their core function is that agricultural produce is sold through APMC-designated mandis or market yards, and reform debates have focused on allowing farmers to sell outside these mandis for better prices. The e-NAM APMCs page describes an APMC Yard or Regulated Market Committee Yard as a place managed by a Market Committee for regulation of marketing of notified agricultural produce and livestock, whether through physical, electronic or other modes. So the Act is about the market structure for selling produce, not about fixing support prices, changing land ownership, or running crop insurance.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) MSP fixation is handled by the Central Government, whereas APMC concerns the regulated marketing channel for agricultural produce.
- (C) Land reform deals with land ownership and tenancy issues, while APMC is about market yards and the sale of agricultural produce.
- (D) Crop insurance is provided through separate schemes, not through the APMC framework for regulated agricultural markets.
Concept
This tests agricultural marketing under the Indian Economy syllabus, especially the distinction between price support, market regulation and farm-risk schemes. It recurs in RAS because APMC reform, mandi regulation and farmer price realisation are frequent policy themes.