A delegation of areca farmers, led by D.V. Sadananda Gowda, former Chief Minister and leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, met Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday to discuss the hurdles faced by areca growers all over the country, and especially in Karnataka.
The visit followed a notification by the government of Maharashtra prohibiting arecanut products (even without nicotine or tobacco) and placing arecanut on the list of banned products, said a press release.
Potential market
The delegation said that Gujarat was a potential market for arecanut and traders were apprehensive that the Maharashtra Food Commissioner’s notification may set a trend, jeopardising the future of arecanut and its farmers and traders, adding to the crisis in the arecanut market.
‘Ban baseless’
The ban on arecanut was baseless as the produce was not carcinogenic, they said. Since Gujarat consumes the bulk of arecanut, Mr. Modi was requested to safeguard the interests of the areca farmers.
Assurance
Following the discussion, Mr. Modi assured the delegation that there would no move to ban arecanut products in Gujarat.
The press release said that arecanut was precious, was not carcinogenic, and had medicinal values.
Mangalore MP Nalin Kumar Kateel, the former Deputy Chief Minister K.S. Eshwarappa, Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (CAMPCO) president Konkodi Padmanabha and CAMPCO Managing Director M. Suresh Bhandary were part of the team, said the release.
