US ban on areca sheath plates: Stakeholders petition PMO

Areca cultivators in Karnataka alleged that the ban on areca cutlery imposed in the United States of America was the result of a conspiracy hatched by vested interests. They hinted at a correlation between the ban on areca cutlery and the rising demand for China-made sugarcane bagasse plates in the United States of America.

From areca cultivators to scientists, stakeholders have petitioned the Prime Minister’s Office, urging the Government of India to take cognisance of the problem, and lean on the USA to lift the ban. The PMO, meanwhile, has directed the Union Ministry of Commerce to look into the issue and address the stakeholders’ concerns.

Shivamogga District Areca Growers’ Association president B A Ramesh Hegde told DH, “Growing demand for sugarcane bagasse plates in the USA might encourage stakeholders in the sugarcane ecosystem to take to manufacture of bagasse plates and other items.”

A Malnad Areca Marketing Co-Operative Society Limited official admitted that some areca sheath manufacturers did spray chemicals on their products to keep the plates free from fungus. “This may have prompted the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to express concerns over alkaloids in areca sheath plates seeping into the food served on them, thereby posing a risk to citizens’ health,” said the official.

Former chairman of the Karnataka Agricultural Prices Commission T N Prakash Kammaradi said that more than 100 experts of renown had signed the petition submitted to the PMO. “I have also met Uttara Kannada MP Vishveshwar Hegde Kageri, urging him to impress on the Centre to resolve this issue with the USA. Unless MPs from Karnataka bring pressure to bear on the Centre, the ban in the USA will not be lifted,” Kamaradi told DH.