Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd will begin the purchase of cocoa from farmers in limited centres in Karnataka from April 9.
Suresh Bhandary, Managing Director of Campco, told BusinessLine that the cooperative has got permission from the Puttur Assistant Commissioner to procure cocoa from farmers once a week in a few centres in Dakshina Kannada district.
The cooperative had had to stop procurement of arecanut, cocoa, rubber from farmers following the implementation of a nationwide lockdown.
Bhandary said Campco will procure cocoa from farmers at the Vittal, Adyanadka, Sullia and Kadaba centres in Dakshina Kannada on Thursdays. It will also buy the commodity from farmers at the Puttur and Belthangady centres on Fridays and Mondays, respectively.
This process will continue till the lockdown is lifted. The procurement, which will be done between 9 am and 12 noon, will be limited to these centres only, he said.
Wet cocoa beans
Stating that wet cocoa beans are a perishable commodity, he said they require proper fermentation to be converted into dry beans. Usually farmers sell wet cocoa beans to the cooperative.
The cooperative was buying wet cocoa beans at ₹55-58 a kg before the lockdown, he said.
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