- In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,-

(a) "APMC yard " means the physical premises covering Agriculture Produce Market Committee Yard, by whatever name called, established for regulating markets and trade in farming produce under any State Act;

(b) "company " means a company as defined in clause (20) of section 2 of the Companies Act, 2013(18 of 2013);

(c) "electronic trading and transaction platform " means a platform set up to facilitate direct and online buying and selling for conduct of trade and commerce of farming produce through a network of electronic devices and internet applications;

(d) "farm services " includes supply of seed, feed, fodder, agro-chemicals, machinery and technology, advice, non-chemical agro-inputs and such other inputs for farming;

(e) "farmer " means an individual engaged in the production of farming produce by self or by hired labour or otherwise, and includes the Farmer Producer Organisation;

(f) "Farmer Producer Organisation " means an association or group of farmers, by whatever name called,-

(g) "farming agreement " means a written agreement entered into between a farmer and a Sponsor, or a farmer, a Sponsor and any third party, prior to the production or rearing of any farming produce of a predetermined quality, in which the Sponsor agrees to purchase such farming produce from the farmer and to provide farm services.

(i) "trade and commerce agreement ", where the ownership of commodity remains with the farmer during production and he gets the price of produce on its delivery as per the agreed terms with the Sponsor;

(ii) "production agreement ", where the Sponsor agrees to provide farm services, either fully or partially and to bear the risk of output, but agrees to make payment to the farmer for the services rendered by such farmer; and

(iii) such other agreements or a combination of agreements specified above;

(h) "farming produce " includes-

(i) foodstuffs, including edible oilseeds and oils, all kinds of cereals like wheat, rice or other coarse grains, pulses, vegetables, fruits, nuts, spices, sugarcane and products of poultry, piggery, goatery, fishery and dairy, intended for human consumption in its natural or processed form;

(ii) cattle fodder, including oilcakes and other concentrates;

(iii) raw cotton, whether ginned or unginned;

(iv) cotton seeds and raw jute;

(i) "firm " means a firm as defined in section 4 of the Indian Partnership Act, 1932(9 of 1932);

(j) "force majeure " means any unforeseen external event, including flood, drought, bad weather, earthquake, epidemic outbreak of disease, insect-pests and such other events, which is unavoidable and beyond the control of parties entering into a farming agreement;

(k) "notification " means a notification published by the Central Government or the State Government, as the case may be, in the Official Gazette and the expression "notified " shall be construed accordingly;

(l) "person " includes-

(i) an individual;

(ii) a partnership firm;

(iii) a company;

(iv) a limited liability partnership;

(v) a co-operative society;

(vi) a society; or

(vii) any association or body of persons duly incorporated or recognised as a group under any ongoing programmes of the Central Government or the State Government;

(m) "prescribed " means prescribed by rules made under this Act;

(n) "Registration Authority " means an authority notified as such by the State Government under section 12;

(o) "Sponsor " means a person who has entered into a farming agreement with the farmer to purchase a farming produce;

(p) "State " includes Union territory.