Chapter I PRELIMINARY.

(1) This Act may be called the Tamil Nadu Agricultural Produce Marketing (Regulation) Act, 1987. (2) It extends to the whole of the Tamil Nadu. (3) The provisions of sub-sections (2) and (4) of section 22 and sub-sections (5) and (7) if section 37 shall come into force at once and the remaining and provisions of this Act shall come into force on such date as the Government may, by notification, appoint; and different dates may be appointed for different areas and for different provisions of this Act.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-(1) "agricultural produce" means any produce of agriculture, whether processed or unprocessed, specified in the Schedule ;(2) "agriculture" includes horticulture, fruit growing, seed growing, animal husbandry (including breeding of livestock), agriculture, pisciculture and sericulture and "agricultural" shall be construed accordingly ;(3) "Board" means the Tamil Nadu State Agricultural Marketing Board established under section 35 ;(4) "broker" means an agent who, in consideration of commission, fee or remuneration contrives, makes and concludes a bargain or contracts on behalf of his principal, for the purchase or sale of any agricultural produce, but does not receive, deliver, transport or pay for the purchase or collect payment for the sale of the agricultural produce ;(5) "Chairman" means the Chairman of a market committee ;(6) "Collector" means the collector of the district in which the notified area is situated or, if such area is situated in two or more districts, the Collector of one of those districts designated in the Government in that behalf ;(7) "commission agent" means a person, who by himself or through his servants, buys and sells agricultural produce for another person keeps it to his custody and controls it during the process of its purchase and sale, and collects payment therefor from the buyer and pays it to the seller, and receives by way of remuneration a commission or percentage upon the amount involved in each transaction ;(8) "Director" means the Director of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business or the Commissioner or Special Commissioner of Agricultural Marketing and Agri Business, as the case may be, and includes any other person or authority authorized by the Government by notification to perform the functions of Director under this Act for such area as may be specified in the notification;(8-a) “e-trading” means a virtual platform created using information and communication technology for marketing activities on any notified agricultural produce such as billing, booking, contracting, negotiating, information exchanging, record keeping, online trading, online payment and other connected activities as are done electronically on computer network or internet;”;(9) "Government" means the State Government ;(10) "market" means any market established under sub-section (1) of section 6 and shall, except in sub-sections (1) and (2) of that section, include a subsidiary market ;(11) "market committee" means any market committee established under sub-section (1) of section 5 ;(12) "notified agricultural produce" means by agricultural produce specified in the notification under section 3 ;(13) "notified area" means any area notified under section 4 as altered by any notification under sub-section (1) of section 9 ;(14) "notified maket area" means any area notified under sub-section (2) of section 6 as altered by any notification under sub-section (1) of section 9 ;(15) "person" means an individual or a firm or a company or an association or a body of individuals, whether incorporated or not, or a local authority. Explanation.- In this clause, "local authority" shall have the same meaning assigned to it in clause (20) of section 3 of the Tamil Nadu Public Health Act, 1939 (Tamil Nadu Act III of 1939) ;(16) "President" means the President of the Board ;(17) "Processing" means any one or more of a series of treatments such as powdering, crushing ,decorticating, husking, par-boiling polishing, ginning, pressing, curing, pasteurising or any manual, mechanical, chemical, physical or other treatment to which raw agricultural produce or its product are subjected to, to make it fit for marketing or ultimate consumption ;(18) "producer" means any person who grows rears, or produces by himself, or by hired labour or otherwise, any agricultural produce in an extent of land not less than half an hectare but does not include a broker or a trader in that produce, although he may grow, rear or produce, that produce : Provided that for the purposes of clauses (a) and (c) of sub-section (2) of section 10, a person shall not be deemed to be a producer, unless he has grown, reared, or produced the notified agricultural produce for a period of not less than three years immediately preceding the date of occurrence of the vacancy against which he is to be nominated. If any question arises as to whether any person is producer or not for the purpose of this Act, the decision of the Collector shall, subject to the provisions of section 60, be final. In arriving at a decision, the Collector shall follow such procedure as may be prescribed. Explanation.- For the purpose of this clause, "producer" shall also include a tenant ;(19) "Registrar" means the Registrar of Co-operative Societies for the State of Tamil Nadu ;(20) "Schedule" means the Schedule to this Act ; (21) "Secretary" means the Secretary of a market committee and includes a Joint, Deputy or Assistant Secretary ; (22) "subsidiary market" means any subsidiary market established under sub-section (3) of section 7 ; (23) "trader" means a person who buys, sells, stocks, processes, treats or in any way deals with any notified agricultural produce either for himself or as a partner or as an agent of one or more persons and includes a commission agent, del credere agent or any other mercantile agent but does not include a broker.

(1) The Government may, by notification, declare their intention of regulating the marketing of such agricultural produce and in such area as may be specified in the notification. (2) The notification shall state that any objection or suggestion which may be received by the Government, within such period as may be specified in the notification, shall be considered by them. A copy of the notification shall also be published in such other manner as may be prescribed.

(1) After the expiry of the period specified in the notification under section 3 and after considering such objection and suggestion as may be received before such expiry, the Government may be notification, declare the area specified in the notification under section 3 or any portion thereof to be a notified area for the purposes of this Act in respect of any agricultural produce specified in the notification under that section. A copy of the notification shall also be published in such other manner as may be prescribed. (2) A notification under section 3 or under sub-section (1) shall have full force and effect notwithstanding any irregularity or defect in the publication of a copy of such notification.