Centre agrees to fix float tariff price for imported arecanut

Mangalore, Dec 20 (UNI) The Union Government has agreed in-principle to fix float tariff price for imported arecanut and import quality arecanut through single port instead of several ports as practised now.

Announcing this at a joint press conference here today, CAMPCO President S R Rangamurthy and CAMPCO Director and Fisheries Minister B Nagaraja Shetty said a delegation, comprising CAMPCO members and former Minister R V Deshpande, yesterday met Union Ministers Sharad Pawar and Kamal Nath and explained about the plight of Indian arecanut growers due to inferior quality of imported arecanut through undervaluated invoices through various ports.

Both the Ministers, who gave a patient hearing, agreed in-principle to fix a floating tariff price for imported arecanut at Rs 60 to Rs 65 per kg and appoint the CAMPCO as the nodal agency for certifying the quality of imported arecanut. They also agreed in-principle to permit one or two major ports in India for import of arecanut, they said.

Mr Shetty said these steps by the Union Government would drastically reduce the plights of Indian growers which would not only arrest the undervaluation of imported arecanut, but also filter inferior quality of arecanut imported into India.

They said the undervaluated imported white supari was being coloured here to make it red which had a rate of Rs 140 to Rs 145 per kg. About 60 per cent of the imported arecanut was being used for manufacturing gutka.

Mr Rangamurthy said that as there was great demand for red supari, the CAMPCO was making efforts to encourage its members, particularly in Kasaragod in Kerala, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi in Karnataka, to grow red supari which would yield higher price. CAMPCO had opened branches in Chamarajanagar and Davanagere and one more branch would be opened at Sringeri next week, he added.

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