Despite Covid-induced challenges, Campco helping areca growers

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

Kishore Kumar Kodgi, President of Campco, informed BusinessLine that the cooperative has been acquiring one.5 tonnes of arecanut a working day in the white arecanut-expanding areas of Karnataka and Kerala.

Stating that the cooperative has not authorized the prices to come down since about a thirty day period now, he said lots of of the personal traders have stopped acquiring from growers.

April and Might are very important months for the grower-members of the cooperative, as they have a variety of commitments like the compensation of loans, and many others. Arecanut marketed to Campco offers them financial security, he said.

“We are acquiring from our grower-members to defend their interests and sustaining the prices also. We won’t let the price to drop, and there is no need to have for farmers to be panic now,” he said.

The arecanut-expanding areas of Karnataka and Kerala are dealing with stricter implementation of a variety of steps to handle the distribute of Covid.

Previous calendar year, Campco was among the the initially companies to start procuring arecanut from growers when the consuming market place was wholly shutdown because of to the nationwide lockdown final calendar year to deal with Covid. Campco said that its shift to invest in from growers then experienced aided deliver security in the market place, and avoided farmers resorting to panic selling of the commodity.

Stating that there is no entire lockdown now, he said the cooperative won’t limit invest in of the commodity.

To a query on the condition in the arecanut consuming markets, Kodgi said the constraints on the import of arecanut has introduced down the import of the commodity, and there is good need for arecanut in the consuming markets. On the other hand, lots of of the ‘paan masala’ manufactures are quickly closing down their units in locations surrounding Delhi because of to lockdown and the migration of workers from their units. This has come in the way for the supply of crimson arecanut, while there is need for it in the consuming markets.

Transportation of white arecanut from making centres to the consuming markets these kinds of as Gujarat is another challenge remaining confronted by the cooperative.

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

He said Campco is scheduling to set up a godown in Gujarat location in the coming months to fulfill the necessities of the distribution community in the location. Then the Campco can ship the commodity to Gujarat by railway community from the arecanut-expanding areas and distribute it, he extra.

Centered on processing, arecanut is categorized as white and crimson versions. White arecanut is geared up by drying the ripe arecanut in the sun and dehusking it. Red arecanut is geared up by dehusking green arecanut, and then boiling and drying it. White arecanut is produced in coastal Karnataka and some elements of Kerala, crimson arecanut is produced in Shivamogga, Davangere and Chitradurga districts of Karnataka. Red selection is primarily made use of in the manufacture of ‘paan masala’, and white for ‘paan’ planning.