The Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board, an apex body created under the erstwhile Delhi Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act, 1976 ( replaced by 1998 Act), is entrusted with over all supervision and control of all the existing Market Committees, development of new markets, improvement in the marketing services and to provide additional facilities like grading and standardization. The nine Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees which are functional in Delhi are shown as below :-

The Agricultural Produce arriving at these markets are mainly meant for consumption by 14 millions of Delhi population but partly it also goes out in forward direction. The existing strength of Delhi Market is better transparency in the sale, purchase and auctioning where the growers get the better prices in a ready cash.

Delhi is known for strong consumer movement where there is more emphasis on the assured quality, cleanliness, an open market system . The population of Delhi is growing is very fast. It is expected to touch 2.3 crores by the year 2021. The consumption of agricultural produce would go up by 1.5 times of the existing consumption. Both to introduce and element of quality, modernization cleaniness gradation standardization and cope with future requirements, it has been felt that the Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board and the nine Market Committees should adopt an approach where all the quantitative and qualitative needs in the field of agricultural marketing, are taken care of. It is accordingly envisaged to adopt the following strategies as a matter of policy as detailed below:-

The perspective plant for the needs of next 20 years focused on decentralizing activities from existing markets as well as the better utilization of the available land is in offing. The suggested location could be oriented towards newly developed area. The arrivals of agricultural produce are being received from different directions, it is intended to develop a proper market on the peripheries on the major highways depending on nature of the commodity arriving from that particular direction on highway. The requirement of land is being worked out for the additional markets to be set up keeping in view the overall traffic planning of the area and the population. The plan so prepared will be in consonance with the Master Plan for Delhi for the year 2021. A Senior Consultant who is retired Commissioner (Planning) DDA has been engaged for the purpose.

In-spite of our two decades of functioning of the committees and the Board in Delhi, we have not been able to introduce either by motivating growers and wholesalers for disinfecting the fruit and vegetable, packaging as per the quality and gradation and computerized recording of weighment. At present, 20% Delhi population are extremely conscious about the quality and intend to pay higher prices for trusted and better quality of fruit and Vegetables, cereals which we have not been able either to introduce ourselves or to motivate growers or wholesalers. For coverage of this target group which will ultimately result in changing the consumer habits to be more quality conscious, We need to introduce fumigation, standardization & gradation computerized weighment, packaging and fixing gradation sticker in all the market yards/sub-yards. This would be an eye-opener for the rest of country to follow. Once the quality/ Weighment is defined and assured, in the market our credibility would certainly go up in global context. We need to follow all that the other developed countries are doing in this respect. Almost all the developed countries have this type of standardization packaging and weighment facility centres functioning in the markets which needs to be followed here also. These facility centres will add a new dimensions in the consumer services which will win the trust of not only the local consumers but will provide an opportunity to the exporters for making their produces fully certified and acceptable to countries like America, Canada and Netherlands. This is a long pending demand of the exporters. The members of the Board have visited recently similar facility centres being run by APMC Vashi in Bombay for the mango exporters where the mangos are ripened by cooling process with ethylene gas as against use of carbide which spoils the skin of mangos. The mangos are graded, weighed, washed, dried and sterilized and mangoes are acceptable even in USA, Canada Netherlands, which accept higher standard of quality of imported fruits. The National Institute of Agricultural Marketing , Jaipur has been asked to prepare a project report for different mandies depending on the volume of the business being carried on in a particular market.

All the arrivals in the major Fruit & vegetable Market, Azadpur are being entered in the computer where the number of commission agents is around are 2200 to whom these arrivals are destined to reach. The computer facilities and networking is being developed by the Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Azadpur to the traders for display of their arrivals online. This will be followed by the introduction of new system of auctioning by electronic process where all the traders can opt to participate in response to display of their arrivals in the auction hall.The auctioning can be held by the APMC within the limited hours. Whosesoever auctioning by electronic process is being done in the rest of the world, the stock of 10 to 15 M.T. is being disposed of with in the time period of 2 to 3 minutes. For preparing the project, the National Institute of Agricultural Marketing, Jaipur has been requested to suggest a system prevalent in USA, Canada, Holland & Netherlands and other western countries.

In the field of poultry, for slaughtering & dressing very clean & hygienic mechanized process is being adopted not only in the rest of world but even in the places like Bombay, Banglore & Pune in our country. These modern plants have the capacity of slaughtering 2000 to 10,000 birds per hour and such plants make full use of waste generated for manufacture of poultry feed. The total arrival of chicken and birds in Poultry Market at Gazipur is around two lakhs per day and setting up of such a modern slaughtering and dressing plant could be economical viable even if we are able to cater to 25% of arrivals.

The members of Delhi Agricultural Marketing Board have visited such a modern slaughtering unit being run in new Bombay in Taloja Industrial Area by M/s Godrej which is highly successful. The products are in high demand in Bombay and it is strongly felt that this would be equally popular in Delhi as well. The mechanized slaughtering plant in India have been set up by Dutch Company M/s Strok & Co. whose plants account for more than 50% mechanized poultry units in the world. The same company has been approached to give the project report for Delhi for slaughtering of 2000 to 10000 per hour. M/s Godrej has also been requested to give a copy of their project report for this purpose. This modern slaughtering house is proposed to be set up in the land adjoining at Gaziipur Fish Poultry Market.