Chapter I PRELIMINARY

1. (1) This Act may be called the Maharashtra Raw Cotton (Procurement, Processing and Marketing) Act, 1971.
2. (2) It extends to the whole of the State of Maharashtra.
3. (3) Chapters I and II shall come into force at once and the remaining provisions of this Act shall come into force on such date as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
4. (4) This Act shall remain in force upto and inclusive of the 30th June [2001], and then expire; and section 7 of the Bombay General Clauses Act, 1904 shall apply upon the expiry of this Act, as if it had then been repealed by the Maharashtra Act.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

1. (a) “advance price” means the price payable or paid as such to a grower of cotton or a holder of stocks of cotton at the time of tendering [cotton] at a collection centre under section 20 or 21;
2. (b) “bale” means any pressed package of cotton of whatever size or density ;
3. (c) “Board” or “Advisory Board” means the Board established under section 3 ;
4. (d) [“additional price”] in respect of any grower or other, person tendering cotton at a collection centre, means if the final price fixed for any cotton season exceeds the guaranteed price, the proportionate amount payable to him as [additional price] under sections 30 and 32, on the quantity of [cotton] acquired from him;
5. (e) “collection centre” means the place designated by the market committee [or direct to be so designated by the Director of Marketing under section 21A, for tendering cotton], by any grower or any other person holding stocks thereof;
6. (f) “controlled area” means an area specified in a notification under section 3 of the Bombay Cotton Control Act, 1942;
7. (g) “cotton” means raw cotton whether ginned or unginned;
8. (h) “cotton ginning factory” has the meaning assigned to it in the Cotton Ginning and Pressing Factories Act, 1925;
   • (i) “cotton pressing factory” has the meaning assigned to it in the Cotton Ginning and Pressing Factories Act, 1925;
9. (j) “cotton season” means the period from the 1st day of July of any year to the 30th day of June of the next year (both days inclusive);
10. (k) “final price” means the price determined as such [under section 29, in respect of any specified variety of grade of cotton], as payable to the cotton growers and other persons tendering [cotton], at the collection centres under sections 20 and 21;
11. (ka) “green card” means the card issued in the prescribed form and in the prescribed manner to every grower of cotton (whether he is its member or not), by the Primary Agricultural Credit Society, within whose area of operation he grows cotton;
12. (l) “guaranteed price” means the price determined as such under section 24, in respect of any [specified variety or grade of cotton] as payable to the cotton growers and other persons tendering [cotton], at the collection centres;
13. (m) “kapas” means unginned cotton;
14. (n) “market area” means an area specified in a declaration made under section 4 of the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act, 1963.
15. (o) “market committee” means a committee constituted for a market area under section 11 of the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act, 1963;
16. (p) “marketing society” means a taluka or block co-operative purchase and sale union, or a marketing society of agricultural produce registered or deemed to be registered under the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960 as an agricultural society, and includes a cotton sale society;
17. (q) “member” means a member of the Advisory Board, and includes the Chairman or Vice-Chairman of the Board;
18. (r) “non-official Member” means who is not a Member ex-officio; “prescribed” means prescribed by or under rules made under this Act;
19. (t) “Registrar” means a person appointed to be the Registrar of Co-operative Societies under the Maharashtra Co-operative Societies Act, 1960, and includes any person appointed to assist him and on whom all or any of the powers of the Registrar under that Act are conferred.