1. Short title and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Farmers’ Produce Trade and
commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020.
(2) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 5th day of June, 2020.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,––
(a) ―electronic trading and transaction platform‖ means a platform set up to facilitate direct
and online buying and selling for conduct of trade and commerce of farmers’ produce through a
network of electronic devices and internet applications, where each such transaction results in
physical delivery of farmers’ produce;
(b) ―farmer‖ means an individual engaged in the production of farmers’ produce by self or by
hired labour or otherwise, and includes the farmer producer organisation;
(c) ―farmers’ produce‖ means,––
(i) foodstuffs including cereals like wheat, rice or other coarse grains, pulses, edible
oilseeds, oils, vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices, sugarcane and products of poultry, piggery,
goatery, fishery and dairy intended for human consumption in its natural or processed form;
(ii) cattle fodder including oilcakes and other concentrates; and
(iii) raw cotton whether ginned or unginned, cotton seeds and raw jute;
(d) ―farmer producer organisation‖ means an association or group of farmers, by whatever
name called,––
(i) registered under any law for the time being in force; or
(ii) promoted under a scheme or programme sponsored by the Central or the State
Government;
(e) ―inter-State trade‖ means the act of buying or selling of farmers’ produce, wherein a trader
of one State buys the farmers’ produce from the farmer or a trader of another State and such
farmers’ produce is transported to a State other than the State in which the trader purchased such
farmers’ produce or where such farmers’ produce originated;
(f) ―intra-State trade‖ means the act of buying or selling of farmers’ produce, wherein a trader
of one State buys the farmers’ produce from a farmer or a trader of the same State in which the
trader purchased such farmers’ produce or where such farmers’ produce originated;
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(g) ―notification‖ means a notification published by the Central Government or the State
Governments in the Official Gazette and the expressions ―notify‖ and ―notified‖ shall be
construed accordingly;
(h) ―person‖ includes––
(a) an individual;
(b) a partnership firm;
(c) a company;
(d) a limited liability partnership;
(e) a co-operative society;
(f) a society; or
(g) any association or body of persons duly incorporated or recognised as a group under
any ongoing programmes of the Central Government or the State Government;
(i) ―prescribed‖ means prescribed by the rules made by the Central Government under this
Act;
(j) ―scheduled farmers’ produce‖ means the agricultural produce specified under any State
APMC Act for regulation;
(k) ―State‖ includes the Union territory;
(l) ―State APMC Act‖ means any State legislation or Union territory legislation in force in
India, by whatever name called, which regulates markets for agricultural produce in that State;
(m) ―trade area‖ means any area or location, place of production, collection and aggregation
including––
(a) farm gates;
(b) factory premises;
(c) warehouses;
(d) silos;
(e) cold storages; or
(f) any other structures or places,
from where trade of farmers’ produce may be undertaken in the territory of India but does not
include the premises, enclosures and structures constituting––
(i) physical boundaries of principal market yards, sub-market yards and market sub-yards
managed and run by the market committees formed under each State APMC Act in force in
India; and
(ii) private market yards, private market sub-yards, direct marketing collection centres,
and private farmer-consumer market yards managed by persons holding licenses or any
warehouses, silos, cold storages or other structures notified as markets or deemed markets
under each State APMC Act in force in India;
(n) ―trader‖ means a person who buys farmers’ produce by way of inter-State trade or intraState trade or a combination thereof, either for self or on behalf of one or more persons for the
purpose of wholesale trade, retail, end-use, value addition, processing, manufacturing, export,
consumption or for such other purpose.