Karnataka > Regulated Markets
Establishment of regulated markets especially for agricultural produces went a long way in providing fair and remunerative prices to the growers. The need for the establishment of Regulated Markets specially in respect of agricultural produces was keenly felt as early as in 1928 by the Royal Commission on Agriculture. In different parts of integrated Karnataka efforts were made to establish regulated markets in a phased manner depending upon the potentialities. In the former Bombay Karnataka area, as early as in 1927, major cash crop cotton was the first commodity to be brought under regulation under the Bombay Cotton Market Act 1927. In the former Hyderabad Karnataka area regulated markets came into being in 1930. In the Madras-Karnataka area, Madras Commercial Crop Act of 1933 was ushered in to regulate the marketing of commercial crops. In a tiny State Kodagu, coffee being the main commercial crop, marketing of it was covered under Coffee Marketing Expansion Act 1942, and Coffee Act of 1942 of the Central Government.
In the former Mysore State, Mysore Agricultural Produce Markets Act 1939 was enacted for the purpose. The First Market Committee to be established in old Mysore was at Tiptur under which the trade of copra and coconut was regulated. The Reorganisation of the State in 1956 brought in its control 54 regulated markets governed under different Marketing Legislations that were in force including marketing personnel and market committee officials. In 1966, an Act, more comprehensive, uniform and applicable to the entire State known as Karnataka Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act was enacted and brought into force from May 1968. There is a State Agricultural Marketing Board (1978) to guide, regulate, co-ordinate and finance developmental activities of regulated markets in the State. The activities of the Board are mainly promotional. Karnataka is the first State in the country to manage a college at Hubli (1964) for training of officials and other members engaged in agricultural marketing and allied activities. Again Karnataka is the first State to cover hamals, cartmen and weighmen of the A.P.M.Cs. under group insurance. APMCs. are extending short term loan to farmers upto Rs. 50,000 on pledge of produces.
Since the implementation of the Regulated Markets Act in 1968, efforts are being made to bring more and more new areas and notified commodities under the regulation. By 1978-79, the number of markets increased to 115, and that of sub-markets to 201. With this, Karnataka ranked 6th in the country in respect of regulated markets and sub-markets. By 1991-92, the State had 116 main markets and 303 sub-markets. The Division-wise distribution of market and sub-markets were: Belgaum 39 (118), Bangalore 33 (72), Gulbarga 26(63), Mysore 18(50) (The number in the brackets indicates the number of sub-markets). In 2002-03 the State had 144 main markets and 343 submarkets. The Division-wise distribution of main markets and sub-markets were: Belgaum 43 (129), Bangalore 38 (89), Mysore 37 (56) and Gulbarga 26 (69). (brackets indicate sub-markets)
The largest number of Main Markets is in Belgaum and Tumkur districts with 10 each. Even in the case of sub-markets Belgaum district has the largest i.e., 33 followed by Uttara Kannada district with 27. The number of Regulated Markets are more in the former Bombay-Karnataka area because of the earlier implementation of the Regulated Markets Act and the coverage of the wider areas under the market regulations.
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