Despite Covid-induced challenges, Campco helping areca growers

The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Internet marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd has said that the cooperative has been procuring arecanut from farmers and preserving the current price, in spite of the Covid-induced challenges in the consuming centres.

Kishore Kumar Kodgi, President of Campco, instructed BusinessLine that the cooperative has been buying one.five tonnes of arecanut a day in the white arecanut-growing areas of Karnataka and Kerala.

Stating that the cooperative has not permitted the premiums to arrive down since about a thirty day period now, he said quite a few of the private traders have stopped acquiring from growers.

April and Could are vital months for the grower-associates of the cooperative, as they have many commitments like the reimbursement of loans, etcetera. Arecanut offered to Campco gives them fiscal steadiness, he said.

“We are buying from our grower-associates to defend their passions and preserving the premiums also. We will not enable the price to drop, and there is no want for farmers to be stress now,” he said.

The arecanut-growing areas of Karnataka and Kerala are going through stricter implementation of many measures to manage the spread of Covid.

Past calendar year, Campco was among the the 1st organizations to start off procuring arecanut from growers when the consuming sector was totally shutdown because of to the nationwide lockdown last calendar year to deal with Covid. Campco said that its shift to get from growers then experienced assisted carry steadiness in the sector, and prevented farmers resorting to stress selling of the commodity.

Stating that there is no complete lockdown now, he said the cooperative will not restrict order of the commodity.

To a question on the scenario in the arecanut consuming markets, Kodgi said the restrictions on the import of arecanut has brought down the import of the commodity, and there is great demand from customers for arecanut in the consuming markets. Having said that, quite a few of the ‘paan masala’ manufactures are temporarily closing down their units in spots bordering Delhi because of to lockdown and the migration of employees from their units. This has arrive in the way for the offer of red arecanut, though there is demand from customers for it in the consuming markets.

Transportation of white arecanut from developing centres to the consuming markets these types of as Gujarat is another problem currently being confronted by the cooperative.

Stating that white arecanut also has demand from customers in the consuming markets, he said these are transported in vans, and truckers are hesitant transport the commodity to northern India at this juncture.

He said Campco is organizing to set up a godown in Gujarat region in the coming months to fulfill the prerequisites of the distribution network in the region. Then the Campco can ship the commodity to Gujarat through railway network from the arecanut-growing areas and distribute it, he extra.

Based on processing, arecanut is categorised as white and red types. White arecanut is organized by drying the ripe arecanut in the sunlight and dehusking it. Crimson arecanut is organized by dehusking eco-friendly arecanut, and then boiling and drying it. White arecanut is produced in coastal Karnataka and some pieces of Kerala, red arecanut is produced in Shivamogga, Davangere and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka. Crimson selection is largely used in the manufacture of ‘paan masala’, and white for ‘paan’ preparing.