The Hindu Business Line : Campco ships arecanut consignment to Kabul

IN a bid to expand its overseas market, the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd on Thursday despatched the first trial consignment of one 40-ft container arecanut to Siraj Miraj Ltd in Kabul, Afghanistan. A multi-cooperative society with presence in Karnataka and Kerala, Campco is expecting to gain from this move.

According to the Campco President, Mr B. Nagaraj Shetty, people in Afghanistan like Indian betel nut. (Arecanut is popularly known as betel nut in that country.)

Addressing presspersons on the occasion, Mr Shetty said Campco had already received Rs 20 lakh for the trial consignment. This consignment with 23 tonnes of `chali' variety of arecanut would be sent to Kabul via Navasheva port in Mumbai. Campco would begin regular shipments to Afghanistan once the trial consignment is accepted there.

On its earlier venture into overseas markets, Mr Shetty said Campco exported a considerable volume of arecanut to Agar International of Pakistan. Since the condition was not conducive for exports then, Campco had to export it through the "indirect" route. He expressed the hope that the improvement in the Indo-Pak relationship would help boost exports to that nation.

Mr Shetty stated that a business delegation from Pakistan would participate in a meeting organised by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in New Delhi, and Campco will exhibit its products there.

He said there was a plan to put arecanut on the commodity-trading list, and a study was on. Officials of the Commodity Exchange of India will meet Campco officials in Mangalore on March 4 to discuss the issue.

Campco wants to study all aspects related to price fluctuations before listing arecanut on the commodity exchange. "If everything goes well, Campco may become the agent of Commodity Exchange of India for arecanut trading," he said.

"Listing arecanut may lead to a second arecanut boom in the area," he added.

The Goa Cooperative Minister, Mr Vinay D. Tendulkar, handed over the documents related to export consignment to the Chief Marketing Officer of Campco, Mr A.S. Bhat, on the occasion.

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