Comments
The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd and the arecanut growers have urged the Government to control the import of arecanut to help growers in the region.
Referring to the recent instance of the handling of inbound arecanut cargo at Mangaluru International Airport (MIA), A Kishore Kumar Kodgi, Campco President, said he is worried about such a development.
Earlier in January, MIA handled 1,519 kg of arecanut at its integrated cargo terminal (ICT). The commodity was ferried as belly air cargo from Agartala to Mangaluru.
A media statement by MIA said this is the highest quantity of the crop that the ICT has handled since it started domestic cargo operation on May 1, 2023.
Shipments via air cargo
The above quantity of arecanut handled, which was procured by a Shivamogga-based arecanut trading company, also marked the highest single day inbound cargo that the ICT has handled since May 1, 2023. In the past, MIA had handled inbound parcels of arecanut, although in smaller quantities.
Kodgi said it is concerning to note that arecanut is being brought from other parts of the country through air cargo mode and supplied in the traditional growing regions such as coastal and Malnad parts of Karnataka.
Urging the government to take note of such developments, he said the Government should check the origin of the crop, the rate at which it was brought, and other details. Such a move will help tackle issues related to imports and tax evasions. The Government’s move in this matter will help cooperatives that are working to bring stability in the arecanut market, he said.
Wondering the reasons behind bringing arecanut from other places to the growing centres in Karnataka, Mahesh Puchchappady, General Secretary of All India Areca Growers’ Association, told businessline that he failed to understand the reason why red arecanut is being brought from Agartala to a red arecanut growing region such as Shivamogga.
“The Government should keenly look into such developments, and take measures to protect the interests of farmers in the region,” he said.
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.