By IANS
Kolkata : Reiterating his opposition to agro-retail business in the state, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya said Friday no such retail outlets would be allowed in Kolkata.
“We will not allow any company to set up their agro-retail stores in the city,” Bhattacharya said, addressing a seminar organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here.
He also urged retailers not to touch food grains as part of their agro-product retailing business in the state.
“We have only allowed Metro Cash and Carry on an experimental basis to do their business in West Bengal. We have allowed them as they are not into agro-retailing, but they will do wholesale business here,” he said.
The Forward Bloc, one of the main constituents of the Left front government in West Bengal, has been opposing agro-retailing business, fearing it would harm farmers in the state.
Earlier, Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) received clearance from the food processing and horticulture department for its agro-retail business, Reliance Fresh, in the state.
The Forward Bloc as well as West Bengal State Marketing Board (WBSMB), an autonomous body under the ministry of state agricultural marketing, have objected to the RIL entry, apprehending possible monopoly by a private company in the state’s agricultural retail scenario.
“There are some problems regarding the retail issue in West Bengal. But we are a coalition government and it will take some time for me to sort it out,” Bhattacharya said.