'Arecanut procurement period to be extended'

 Union Minister of State for Commerce Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday that an order will soon be issued extending the period for procurement of arecanut at minimum support price under the market intervention scheme.

As per the earlier order of the Centre, the period for procurement ended on December 31 and it was ordered to purchase 40,000 tonnes of arecanut, she said.

Speaking to mediapersons here, she said that the state had sent a request to the Centre, seeking the extension of the period only two days ago. However, the Centre has decided to extend the time limit, regardless of the state’s letter. An order will soon be passed on the exact period of extension, she said.

Members of the Parliament from Karnataka had submitted a memorandum to the Centre seeking assistance for arecanut growers.