Will not allow arecanut to be banned: CAMPCO

Mangalore, Dec 11: The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) will take all the necessary action to protect the interests of arecanut growers in the state, amidst the proposal to ban arecanut, said president of the multi-state co-operative Konkodi Padmanabha.

Addressing reporters at a press conference here on Wednesday, he said that the co-operative had several supporting documents to validate that arecanut does not contain carcinogenic or cancer-causing elements. Arecanut is grown in 12 states in the country and plenty of growers and labourers depend on this crop for their livelihood. Elected representatives should see to it that false reports disfavouring arecanut are not submitted in the Supreme Court, he said, claiming that Central administrative officials were working to ban arecanut.

He said that delegations from Campco have met the Central agriculture minister and commerce minister to safeguard the interests of arecanut growers. A delegation also met the Prime Minister to argue in favour of arecanut growers in the apex court. There is a suspicion that the tobacco manufacturers are lobbying behind the proposed arecanut ban, which is due for hearing on January 6 before a newly-constituted bench in the Supreme Court, he said.

“There have been studies in the past proving that arecanut has more medicinal values compared to harmful elements. It has not been scientifically proved in India that arecanut contains carcinogenic agents. We will not allow arecanut to be banned, and are ready to descend to the streets if necessary,” he said, adding that the co-operative had consulted several senior high-court advocates to contest the proposed ban on arecanut.

Campco vice-president K Satishchandra Bhandary and manager-director M Suresh Bhandary were present.