Date:31/08/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/08/31/stories/2007083155761100.htm

National

Arecanut import allowed only through New Mangalore Port

Raviprasad Kamila

Union Government issues one more notification

MANGALORE: The Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry has issued one more notification allowing import of betel nuts (arecanuts) only through New Mangalore Port. The notification issued on Wednesday mentions that whole, split, ground and other variety of betel nuts should be imported only through New Mangalore Port.

This notification supersedes the earlier two notifications issued by the DGFT this year on import of betel nuts, official sources said.

On February 20 this year, the DGFT issued a notification allowing the import of betel nuts only through New Mangalore Port. However, the DGFT issued another notification in July allowing the import of betel nuts only through New Mangalore Port and also betel nuts of Nepalese origin through Jogbani and Panitanki Land Custom Stations.

Following this, a delegation of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Limited (CAMPCO) and elected representatives of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi met Kamalnath, Union Minister of Commerce, in Delhi in August and appealed to him to cancel the July notification to prevent imports from Nepal.

The delegation brought to the notice of the Minister details of imports and exports of arecanut published in the Areca nut and Spices Data Base in 2007 by the Directorate of Areca nut and Spices Development, Kozhikode, under the Union Ministry of Agriculture.

The data base nowhere mentioned that arecanut is grown in Nepal. On the other hand, India exported 219 tonnes of arecanut worth Rs. 109.85 lakh to Nepal in 2005-06, 347 tonnes worth Rs. 188.10 lakh in 2004-05 and 167 tonnes worth Rs. 89.70 lakh during 2003-04. It meant that Nepal is betel nuts consuming country, the delegation members told the Minister.

In a memorandum to the Minister, S.R. Rangamurthy, president, CAMPCO, said that arecanut of other nations are brought to Nepal with fewer import duty in Nepal and re-exported to India legally and illegally. Due to this, India is suffering heavy revenue loss and imports had created a crisis in the domestic arecanut market.