Arecanut growers delegation meets Amit Shah, Sitharaman over sectoral issues

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, August 9, 2025: A high-level delegation of arecanut growers and cooperative representatives met Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi on Friday, seeking measures to address key challenges facing the sector.

The delegation included MPs Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, B.Y. Raghavendra and Kota Srinivas Poojary, Arecanut Mahamandala president Araga Jnanendra, CAMPCO president S.R. Satishchandra and CAMPCO Managing Director Dr. B.V. Satyanarayana.

The delegation urged Shah to curb illegal arecanut imports being routed through various HS codes and the entry of low-quality produce under the “roasted arecanut” classification introduced last October.

It also raised concern over the decline in domestic arecanut prices due to cheap foreign produce entering the market duty-free and allegedly bypassing minimum import price regulations.

Satishchandra sought implementation of a “One Nation, One Tax” policy to ease the tax burden on cooperative societies while addressing tax evasion by private traders.

Shah assured the delegation that strict legal action would be taken against illegal imports. The delegation also urged Sitharaman to take measures to reduce the tax burden on farmers.