Lockdown: With APMC shut, copra trading on sly thrives in Tiptur

Because the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) market is shut down due to the countrywide Covid-19 lockdown, procurement of Tiptur's copra, which is famous all over Asia, has come to a standstill.

However, it is alleged that throwing caution to the winds, and violating the ban on copra exports announced by Law and District in-Charge Minister J C Madhuswamy, certain traders are buying copra directly from farmers and transporting it to Kerala, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh-- where the number of Covid-19 cases is high.

These traders are buying copra costing Rs 10,300 directly from farmers in the rural areas of Turuvekere and Gubbi like Chelur, Channarayapatna, Bellur Cross and Gandsi for Rs 12,000 and allegedly transporting them out of the state.

Other honest traders have asked the government to fix a time for copra trading just like it has for buying vegetables and essentials like milk and grocery. Some traders are getting past checkpoints claiming that copra is an essential commodity too.