Online market cess collection to be introduced soon

Guntur: The agriculture marketing department will introduce an online market cess collection system at all the department toll gates in the State within two weeks to check irregularities and to maintain transparency in cess collections. Following the instructions of the government, the officials have already negotiated with the bankers and made necessary arrangements.

According to Principal Secretary (Agricultural Marketing and Cooperative Society) Chiranjeevi Chowdary, the agriculture marketing department has already started exercise in this regard and a meeting was held with the bank officials. The officials were planning to introduce Google Pay, Phone Pe and other payment systems for collecting marketing cess at the check-posts. There are 216 agriculture market yards and 450 agriculture marketing department check-posts. At present, the department is getting Rs 218 crore revenue through marketing cess per annum.

Similarly, the department has taken steps to totally computerise all the 2,041 Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies for maintaining transparency in accounts and to check irregularities in the PACS. They have been waiting for software from the Central government to computerise the PACS and steps were being taken to financially strengthen the PACS.

The agriculture marketing department has decided to set up one stall at all the Rythu Bazaars across the State to sell organic farming and nature farming rice, pulses, vegetables, fruits and other products for the convenience of the consumers. Now, the consumers are purchasing rice, pulses, vegetables and fruits produced under organic farming at super markets. The department observed that farmers will get marketing facilities if stalls are set up. The AP Markfed has procured 40,000 tonnes of Bengal gram from the farmers so far against 1.22 lakh tonnes target fixed for the State. The officials have cleared the payments.