MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel and K Jayaprakash Hegde have written to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to appoint CPCRI as Nodal agency for identifying imported arecanuts and to test the quality of the same.
The MPs allege that arecanut valued at more than Rs 500 crores are being imported to India at zero duty from Indonesia routing through Bangladesh. Both elected representatives pointed out that Areca from Indonesia is reaching here through Bangladesh, as Bangladesh being a SAARC Country, import duty can be exempted.
This inferior quality areca has flooded the domestic market and is causing huge loss to Country’s exchequer. They also demanded to fix specific tariff value for arecanut at Rs 125 per Kg and take necessary action to ban import for the time being.
Published 21 March 2013, 17:58 IST