The Hindu Business Line : Concern over expansion of areca to non-traditional areas

Mangalore, Aug 9 Speakers at the international conference on ‘future of arecanut’, organised by the Mangalore-based Arecanut Research and Development Foundation (ARDF), have expressed concern over the expansion of arecanut cultivation in non-traditional areas, as the country is self-sufficient with the present production.

During the first technical session — ‘Production of arecanut: Present status and future prospects’ — on the opening day of the two-day conference on Saturday, Dr D. Chandrashekar Chowta, a progressive farmer from Manjeshwar in Kasaragod district of Kerala, said arecanut cultivation is spreading into non-traditional areas in the country. Growers in these areas were buying huge quantities of seedlings from Dakshina Kannada and other arecanut-growing areas.

In the traditional growing areas, too, a tendency prevails among farmers to replace paddy fields with arecanut plantations. Both these initiatives should be discouraged as they will affect the future prospects of the commodity, he said.

The number of small holdings is increasing in the arecanut sector, leading to increase in production cost. Self-help groups should be effectively used for the management of small holdings, he said.

Contract options

Mr V.V. Bhat, Principal Secretary (Finance and Planning), Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, said that in view of the labour shortage and in order to reduce production cost, a new model of management through self-help groups may be necessary.

There may be need to contract out the operation of harvesting, spraying, manure supply, and so on. Unless production cost is reduced through use of new techniques, competitiveness of the local small producers will be affected, he said.

Referring to the recent instances of arecanut import, Dr Chowta said the country imported around Rs 110 crore worth arecanut last year.

During the second technical session, Mr A.S. Bhat, General Manager of Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd, said to gain better control over prices and the market stability, the cooperative sector should increase its scope to at least 25 per cent of the market.

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