A delegation of Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (Campco) and other areca cooperatives in the State recently met seven Union Ministers and discussed the pending demands of areca growers.
DemandsThe delegation sought a ban on the import of areca from Nepal, increase in the minimum import rate for areca, issuing proper directions to prevent illegal transport of areca, keeping areca import out of the purview of SAARC agreements in the next meeting of the associate countries, protection of the interests of areca growers in an ongoing case pertaining to proposed ban on areca pending with the Supreme Court, and formation of committee to look into positive benefits of areca consumption and communicating the same to the court.
The release said Mysore MP Prathap Simha demanded that tobacco ban should be implemented in phases. Campco president Konkodi Padmanabha demanded a special package for areca growers who suffer because of ban on tobacco.
He also demanded a separate package for areca growers whose yield has reduced because of yellow leaf disease in Sringeri, Koppa, Tirthahalli, Sullia, Madikeri and others.
They should be encouraged to grow other crops, he said. Mr. Padmanabha has appealed to the growers not to panic.
The Ministers they met are D.V. Sanananda Gowda, Harsh Vardhan, Radha Mohan Singh, H.N. Ananth Kumar, Nirmala Seetharaman, G.M. Siddeshwar and Prakash Javadekar.
