German wholesale major Metro Cash & Carry has finally received the license on Friday from West Bengal agri marketing board, to operate on a business-to-business model, but under certain conditions.

Under the arrangement, the German major has directed to sell commodities only to traders having a wholesale trade licence, or the Regulated Market Committee (RMC) licence and in case of agri products, an APMC license.

In addition, the WB agri-marketing board has also instructed the company to furnish the list of traders it is dealing with to the marketing board for scrutiny.  

Against each transaction, the West Bengal agri marketing board will get 1% of the trading amount from the German major and another 1% from the trader, as marketing fee.  

The latest license will be valid only till next March.  

The Forward Bloc-run State Agricultural Marketing Board also did a climbdown by withdrawing the minimum bill amount limit for Metro Cash & Carry, per item and per customer, of Rs 5000 that it had been demanding to Rs 1000.

Metro Cash will open its wholesale outlet in Kolkata within 6-8 weeks, which will be its fifth outlet in the country.  

The company entered the Indian market in 2003. Apart from forthcoming outlet in Kolkata, the company operates two wholesale centers in Bangalore, one in Hyderabad and one in Mumbai.