Worried about smuggling of arecanut into the country from other countries, arecanut farmers met Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Home Affairs seeking an immediate intervention into the matter. And the delegation was led by none other than D.V.Sadananda Gowda, Union Minister for Statistics and Program Implementation & In-charge of Chemicals & Fertilizers ministry.
After meeting the Union Home Minister, Gowda and Campco leaders also met Suresh Prabhu, Minister of Commerce & Industry as well as Piyush Goel, Union Minister of Finance. They demanded a curb on the import of Arecanut and submitted a memorandum to this effect.
Since D.V.Sadananda Gowda belongs to Karnataka and the national election is round the corner he personally led the delegation, quipped a cooperator.
“The inflow of imported Arecanut into the domestic Market had greatly increased especially poor quality Arecanut from Mynmar infiltrating even into the Mangaluru Market”, read a press release mailed by Campco.
Those representing arecanut farmers included Nalin Kumar, MP Dakshina Kannada; Ms.Shobha Karandlaje, M.P.Udupi & Chikamagaluru; Sri.Raghavendra, M.P.Shivamogga; along with Cooperative Societies Heads-Sri.S.R.Satishchandra, President, CAMPCO; Sri.H.S.Manjappa, President KRAMPS; Sri.Y.Subrahmanya Bhat, Vice President MAMCOS; Sri.H.S.Shivakumar, President TUMCOS and Sri.Raveesh Hegde, Managing Director, TSS .
”The Union Ministers have positively responded to our request and assured us that immediate action would be taken against smuggling by tightening our borders”, said the leaders.
The ministers have also assured us that action would be initiated against traders who are trying to smuggle low quality imported Arecanut into the domestic market. “It is expected that with the tightening of borders, smuggling of arecanut into the domestic market will be checked and farmers will get a remunerative price for their produce, said Satishchandra, president of Campco.
Campco, a chocolate cooperative headquartered in Mangalore has been hogging the headlines recently for announcing the training of women climbers.