The issue of Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) renewing the licence of German wholesaler Metro Cash and Carry, was discussed at a recent meeting between the ruling party CPM and the Forward Bloc. The results are not encouraging for Metro as it has been made clear that Metro Cash and Carry would not be allowed to perform retail business and contract farming in West Bengal.
After the meeting with CPI(M) leaders including Left Front chairman Biman Bose and chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattarchejee, Ashok Ghosh, state general secretary, Forward Bloc, said, “Under no circumstances the company would be allowed to enter into retail business and contract farming.”
“As part of the safeguards for the small traders ‘no single item of the company worth less than Rs 5,000 can be purchased from it,” he added.
All the legal disputes regarding the company’s business are subjected to be resolved in Kolkata instead of Bangalore.
However, the German giant prefers to remain silent on the issue, as the spokesperson of Metro Cash and Carry said, “We cannot comment on the issue until we are officially informed about the meeting as we have not received any official correspondence from the APMC board yet. But we are not bound to accept any such terms and conditions that are not applicable for other companies doing business in the state. The law must be uniform.”
