Loknete Vasantrao Dhotre Market Yard
Leading Market Committee in Vidarbha
In 1898, legal Cotton Market Committees were established. In 1935, the Market Act was amended. An important amendment in the Market Act was to give representation to farmers in the Market Committee, Farmers got representation in 1935. In the same year, Taluka Cooperative Purchase and Sale was established and the representative leadership of farmers started coming forward. Baliram Ambaji Kuchar, Uttamrao Shivramji Deshmukh, Vamanrao Haribhau Khursade, Pandhari Tukaram Patil, Namdevrao Baliramji Patil, Motiram Raoji Kalne etc. represented the Cotton Market Committee during the pre-independence period. Since independence, Pundlikrao Patil Jayle, Govindrao Pundlikrao Patil Bhouradkar, Rambhau Purnaji Patil, Nilkanthrao Shridhar Sapkal, Dr. Vamanrao Ramakrishna Korpe, Tulshiram Namdevrao Patil Pohre, Rambhau Pundlik Patil, Dr. Bhikaji Haribhau Pagrut, Namdevrao Shivramji Patil, Tryambakrao Vithoba Patil, Anandrao Haribhau Barde, Govind Ramji Satpute, Namdevrao Ramji Kathoke, Vasudevrao Narayanrao Mahore, Rambhau Narayanrao Taware, Bapurao Gulabrao Mahalle, Shaligram Talluji Patil, Baldevrao Avadhutrao Patil, Shri.H. Mankar, Motiram Udebhanji Lahane, Gopalrao Rustomji Kakad, Gopalrao Namdevrao Pohre, Kisanrao Na. Janunkar, Vasantrao Ramrao Dhotre etc. represented this organization. Since India is an agricultural country, the main occupation of the people of this country was agriculture. Therefore, a large number of people in rural areas were dependent on agricultural income. Therefore, due to the decentralized market system in the pre-independence period, weekly markets or bazaar places were available for farmers to sell their agricultural products.
At the end of the nineteenth century, the British gave the Indians the system of local self-government institutions and under it, the Cotton Market Committee was established in 1886 with a view to creating a centralized market system for the agricultural products sold by the farmers. The Cotton Regulation Act was implemented in 1897. As per the notification of Hyderabad Residency Order No. 79-1 dated 1 April 1898, cotton market notifications were issued at 9 places in the Amravati division.
The saying "Varhad un sonyachi karahad" was famous because the land of Vidarbha was fertile and fertile. Therefore, since cotton was mainly a cash crop in this region, farmers gave priority to cotton production and after independence, cotton production was taken up in large quantities in this region and accordingly, market systems were also established. But due to lack of funds or special efforts from the government level to provide the necessary infrastructure for the agricultural product purchase and sale system, the market committees have successfully tried to create the necessary facilities from the market funds received and in this, since the representatives of the farmers of Maharashtra are on the market committees, it is seen in Maharashtra that an attempt has been made to provide today's market system in a planned manner by considering the needs of the farmers on a priority basis.
'Akola Agricultural Product Market Committee' is the leading market committee and the market committee has provided the necessary infrastructure for the agricultural product sale system. The guidance of the late Vasantraoji Dhotre, the former Minister of State for Cooperation, has played a significant role and the market committee is working on the path shown by him and the Akola Agricultural Product Market Committee has succeeded in creating the identity of a market committee that is worthy of the trust of the farmers. Late Shri. Vasantrao Ramrao Dhotre was born on 14 February 1937 in the village of Palso (Badhe) in Akola taluka. B.Com from Nagpur University. After completing his degree, he took part in social work in 1960. He was a member of the Zilla Parishad, Akola from 1967-1985. He served as the Chairman of the Akola Agricultural Produce Market Committee from 1971 to 1986. He was elected as a member of the Legislative Assembly from Borgaon constituency for five years from 1985 to 1990 and was the Minister of State for Cooperation and Forests of the State of Maharashtra from 1986 to 1988. During that time, the Chairman of the Akola Agricultural Produce Market Committee was Shri. Avachittarao Bele and after that Shri. Vasantrao Dhotre again became the Chairman of the Market Committee from 1994 to 2002. Shri. Vasantrao Dhotre served as the Chairman of the Market Committee for 23 years and after that he worked as the Director of the Market Committee and after that Shri. Shirish Vasantrao Dhotre took over the post of Chairman of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee from 2002.
Shri. Shirish Vasantrao Dhotre, after completing his Bachelor of Engineering (Electronics) degree from Pune University, took part in social and political activities from 1991. He was elected as a member of Zilla Parishad Akola from Palso constituency in 1998. He has been the Chairman of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee since the sixth executive board of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee and his tenure as Chairman has been 23 years.
Shri. Shirish Vasantrao Dhotre, former Minister of State and former Chairman of the Market Committee, has been the Chairman of the Agricultural Produce Market Committee since 1998.