LAHORE: The Punjab government is creating an agricultural marketing regulatory authority to modernise agricultural produce marketing in the province, also introducing virtual markets, official sources said on Sunday.

The authority is being established to promote an agricultural produce marketing system that could facilitate commercial development through multiple channels, providing clear lineages of growers to markets as well as participation of entrepreneurs in investment and opera-tion of agricultural marketing enterprises.

The proposed authority will prescribe grading standardsfor specinc agriculture produce, good agriculture practices, geographical origin of produce or particular marking of farming method as organic, prescribe and collect fees for registration of agricultural produce markets and service providers.

It will promote marketing channels and contract farming and adoption of fair auctioning systems in line with best regional and international practices, provide training for service providers and market information services, restrict unfair mar-keting practices, model contract farming templates and undertake surveys of markets and marketing of agricultural produce, impose and collect fines for violation of the related law and rules.

The authority will issue licences for setting up collection centres by dealers after fulfilling certain legal requirements.

Wholesale markets will also be allowed after getting them registered. The registration will require certain particulars to be filled like declaration that the market will be run by a firm, company or a sole proprietor, nature of the land to be used for the market, facilities, grading and packaging facilities, auction methodology, marketinformationandits display, and hygiene and sanitation protocols.

The authority will also allow virtual market or e-commerce platform subject to registration with it.

The conditions for getting registeredwillincludelegal status of the firm, company or the sole proprietor, business model and process flow, financial plan.

Of ficials said growers orproduce associations will also be allowed to set up farmer markets under the name of Apni Mandi or Kissan Bazaars for direct marketing of their produce without any registration.

Service providers like graders, polishers or packers, warehouse operators providing storage and cold chain services and quality assayers will also need registration with the authority.

Anyirregularityincluding denial of payment to growers against delivery of agricultural produce, f raudulent auctions, avoid-ing display of services by market functionaries will lead to cancellation of registration.

Operating without registrationwillinviteimprisonment up to six months and fine up to Rs500,000.

All disputes between sellers and buyers in the wholesale markets will be referred to a sole expert.

The authority will itself maintain a list of the experts experienced in agricultural marketing.

The government will transfer the existing markets to the authority after two years of its establishment.