CAMPCO ready with peeling machine

Equipment will be released by November end, says president

Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, Campco President Konkody Padmanabha said that mechanisation of areca cultivation is inevitable as shortage of agriculture workers is the main issue worrying the growers. “There are no people to pick areca, to peel it and for various process included in cultivation. Hence the co-operative has made a good quality areca peeling machine, which will be released to market during the last week of November,” he said adding that they have produced one machine at present at a cost of Rs 70,000 but the cost is expected to go down while releasing to the market.

He said that an Agri Experts Meet will be convened in December where over 100 experts will take part. By March next, another ‘Yantra Mela’ will be convened.

Chocoloate unit
Speaking about the chocolate production unit of Campco in Puttur, he said that the unit is working in three shifts. It has produced 14,000 metric tonne of chocolate in 2010-11 while it has set a target of producing 17,000 metric tonne in 2011-12. The co-op targets to produce 23,000 tonne by 2015.

Co-op week
Konkody said that as against many other organisations, which have been organising Co-operative Week for name sake, conducting seminars and talks indoor, Campco has this year reached out to the farmers and interacted with them to discuss over their problems. This year Campco aims to meet 10,000 farmers, he informed.

He said that Campco is utilising 90 per cent of its power requirement from its own sources. The co-op set up two wind power units at Chikkody in Belgaum on November 12 at a cost of Rs 10.36 crore, in addition to units already functional at Huvinahadagali in Bellary.

Novel projects
Campco has plans to utilize its 11 acre land at Kavu in Puttur for various innovative purposes such as research centre for Areca Research and Development Foundation, setting up Central Warehousing, latest cocoa drying unit, developing model cocoa and areca plantation and taking up rural farming and administrative training.

Rs 12.86 cr net profit
CAMPCO has made net profit of Rs 12.86 crore in 2010-11 with a total turn over of Rs 692 crore.

In 2011-12, the organisation has made business of Rs 499 crore in six months and the co-op hopes to reach Rs 1,000 crore transaction by end of the fiscal year.