Mumbai: Despite objections from BJP MLAs, including Sudhir Mungatiwar and Ashish Deshmukh and opposition MLAs, the Legislative Assembly on Friday passed the Maharashtra Fruit Nurseries and Sale of Fruit Plants (Regulation) Amendment Bill 2026. The bill removed the six months’ imprisonment provision for individuals found guilty of violating the law by selling saplings that are fake, or of poor quality or don’t bear fruits in the first instance. In the original Act, there was a provision for maximum penalty of imprisonment for up to 6 months, a fine of up to Rs 5,000, or both.In the amendment, the imprisonment provision has been removed for the first violation and the fine has been increased to Rs 25,000. Those found guilty of the same offence for the second time will face imprisonment for 6 months. The bill was introduced by horticulture minister Bharat Gogawale. The govt said the amendment was part of the aim to decriminalise minor contraventions of the provisions of the Acts to promote ease of doing business.“The Maharashtra Fruit Nurseries and Sale of Fruit Plants (Regulation) Act, 1969 was enacted to provide for the licensing and regulation of fruit nurseries and the sale of fruit plants, with a view to ensuring the supply of genuine pedigree fruit plants to growers and safeguarding agricultural productivity…The govt seeks to reduce the punishment for minor and technical regulatory violations to promote ease of doing business. The govt, considers it expedient to remove the punishment of imprisonment in respect of a first contravention and to substitute the same with an enhanced fine and to prescribe more stringent punishment with imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine, which may extend to Rs 25,000, or with both for second and subsequent contraventions,” the bill’s statement of objects and reasons stated.Deshmukh said that the bill was brought for nursery owners and was anti-farmer. Deshmukh demanded that the bill be referred to a joint select committee of legislators and be withdrawn for now. Deshmukh said fruit trees fructify after 5-6 years and by then, farmers already make heavy investment in growing those trees. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Kailash Patil said that the bill must have provisions to make the nursery owners pay the entire compensation of the losses suffered by farmers in case the trees don’t fructify.Congress MLA Nana Patole said the bill was against farmers and was only going to benefit corporate nurseries and companies.
