The Supreme Court has given an important decision in which it has been said that garlic is a vegetable, not a spice. With this decision, the eight-year-long controversy over the sale of garlic in Madhya Pradesh has come to an end. Now farmers have got the freedom to sell the garlic they produce through the government system or by taking it to traders.
By Lokesh Solanki
Published Date: Sat, 04 Jan 2025 06:45:00 AM (IST)
Updated Date: Sat, 04 Jan 2025 06:45:00 AM (IST)
HighLights
- Farmers got freedom on the sale of garlic.
- 8 years dispute ends with Supreme Court’s decision.
- Farmers will get benefit from the sale of garlic.
Lokesh Solanki, Naidunia, Indore. In the government rules and regulations made for the market, garlic will be kept in the vegetable category only. It is the choice of the farmer whether he wants to sell the garlic he produces through the government system or by taking it to traders.
The Supreme Court has given this decision in the case of Bijalpur farmer Kailash Mukati. With this, the dispute over the sale of garlic that had been going on for eight years in Madhya Pradesh has come to an end. With this, farmers have been freed from the bondage of auctioning garlic through the government system.
MP High Court decision upheld
The Supreme Court, while giving its decision on Friday, has upheld the decision of the Divisional Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court that garlic is a perishable commodity. In such a situation, it will be kept in the category of vegetables. Farmers can sell it as per their convenience and price.
For the last year, the government’s wish and not the farmers’ wish was prevailing in the garlic auction. Since February last year, commission agents and traders were stopped from conducting direct auction of garlic in Indore market.
The rule was implemented that like grains and spices, garlic will be auctioned in the government market by government employees. After this, protests took place several times in the market. Farmers demanded that it should be left to their choice as to where to sell their produce.
Farmers were embroiled in dispute for eight years
The dispute over garlic was going on in the state for about eight years. On the application of farmers’ organization, Madhya Pradesh Mandi Board had included garlic in the vegetable category in 2015. This gave the farmers the freedom to either sell the garlic in the government bidding process or get it auctioned along with the vegetables by brokers or traders.
But shortly after this, the Agriculture Department canceled this order and citing the Agricultural Produce Market Committee Act (1972), put garlic in the category of spices. In 2016, the Association of Mandi Traders reached the High Court.
given permission to auction at will
In 2017, the court considered garlic as a vegetable and allowed auction as per the wish of the farmers. Meanwhile, a businessman Mukesh Somani filed a review petition. The High Court has again placed garlic in the category of spices.
On this basis, the government issued an order in February 2024 and excluded commission agents from the garlic auction being held in Indore mandi. Started auction from government employees. Farmers opposed this. Said that the decision was taken without knowing their information and side.
High Court had ruled that garlic is a vegetable
Kailash Mukati, a farmer from Bijalpur, appealed to the Divisional Bench of the High Court on behalf of the farmers. On this, in July 2024, the Divisional Bench of the High Court ruled that garlic is a vegetable and the farmer can sell it wherever he wants.
The Mandi administration remained silent on this decision. Businessman Mukesh Somani again approached the Supreme Court and obtained a stay on the High Court Division Bench’s decision. However, now the Supreme Court has lifted the stay and upheld the order of the Divisional Bench, giving its verdict in favor of the farmers.
