NEW DELHI: The national lockdown to curb spread of Covid-19 has given states an opportunity to bring quick reforms to agri markets which had been pending for years.In the past couple of weeks, states have proactively sought to ease sale of farm produce by measures like setting up of private purchase centres outside market yards to buy directly from farmers; allowing direct marketing without requirement of any licence; and exempting cooperative institutions/farmer producer organisations for wholesale trade outside agri market yards.“Realising the difficulties in maintaining supply chain of farm produce, the states have now taken measures which we have been suggesting for long,” said an official of the agriculture ministry.Sharing details of what different states have done during the lockdown period, he said the bigger issue of bringing amendments in existing Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) Act still to be resolved, but the states quickly did what can be done through executive orders.“It would certainly pave the way for the required amendments in near future as experience of lockdown will compel them not to adhere to archaic law which prevented free flow of farm produce,” said the official, noting how all the states underlined its importance in their meeting with Union agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar this month.Tomar had on April 16 written to chief ministers, reminding them the need for direct marketing of farm produce through cooperatives/FPOs. The ministry also issued an advisory to the States to promote direct marketing without insisting for licensing procedures and facilitate the farmers in timely marketing of farm produce.“The states which did not do much on agri market reform front in the past have now readily agreed and taken multiple measures required for their respective states,” said another official.As a result, direct linkages have been established by FPOs with farmers and traders in Uttar Pradesh for supplying their produce to consumers in cities which saved wastages and directly benefitted the farmers. “The State has even facilitated in establishing linkages with FPOs and Zomato Food Delivery App, thereby ensuring smooth distribution of veggies to consumers,” said the official while citing an example. The UP government has also allowed trading in e-NAM platform from farm gate.Similarly, Rajasthan has issued more than 1,100 direct marketing licences to processors during lockdown period wherein farmers have already started selling directly to the processors while other states initiated other measures to ease marking of farm produce without interference of middlemen or regulated mandis (registered agri markets).In Tamil Nadu, traders are now preferring to buy the produce from farmers from their farm gate/villages due to market fee waiver.Farmers in many states can sell their produce from Warehousing Development and Regulatory Authority (WDRA) registered warehouses, notified as deemed market. They now don’t need to physically bring the produce to the nearest mandis.