Centre to expedite study on arecanut, says minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan

Chouhan spoke to the media after meeting a delegation of Union Ministers from Karnataka and Parliamentarians discussed the problems faced by arecanut growers with him.

New Delhi: Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday said that he has directed ICAR ( Indian Council of Agriculture Research) to expedite the study to prove that arecanut is not injurious to health.

He was speaking to the media after meeting a delegation of Union Ministers from Karnataka and Parliamentarians here to discuss the problems faced by arecanut growers.

Union Minister for Steel H D Kumaraswamy, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs Pralhad Joshi, Minister of State for Railways, V Somanna, Lok Sabha members B Y Raghavendra, Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri, Govind Karjol, Brijesh Chowta, Kota Srinivasa Poojary, Prabha Mallikarjun, former minister Araga Jnanendra, CAMPCO president Kishor Kodgi and others in the delegation.

“Arecanut consumption is not new in India. For centuries, people have been consuming arecanut in India. Arecanut is being used even in religious rituals also. Since the World Health Organisation said that arecanut may cause cancer, the government has ordered for the study by the ICAR to clear the doubt in public mind. I have asked the ICAR to expedite the study. If the study report came early, then doubt will be cleared,” the Minister said.

"On  Yellow-Leaf-Disease (YLD), the Minister said a group of scientists are  working on this issue. The team is also working on disease free areca plants. On delegation's  demand to provide compensation to farmers, who have lost crops due to yellow disease, he said it will be discussed at appropriate forums. The government will take an appropriate decision to this effect," he said.

"Price fluctuation and influx of poor quality areca from neighbouring countries were also discussed in the meeting. I will take an expert team to Bengaluru and discuss with the state government and other stakeholders to address the problems faced by arecanut farmers soon," Chouhan said.

Raghavendra, in a memorandum submitted to Chouhan, appealed to him to finalise the official report on evidence-based research on arecanut and human health, and make it public at the earliest.

This is significant in the backdrop of the World Health Organisation classifying arecanut as carcinogenic, and the case on the issue is pending before the Supreme Court.

The Lok Sabha member urged the Union Minister to allocate funds for research on Yellow-Leaf-Disease (YLD) and other diseases affecting arecanut in parts of Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Shivamogga, and Chikkamagaluru in Karnataka and parts of Kerala.

He also requested the Union Minister to implement strict measures for curbing illegal import of arecanut and pepper via the Myanmar border area. He appealed to the Minister to strengthen crop insurance facilities for the benefit of growers.