| Date: |
22-12-2014 |
| Subject: |
Union minister's visit brings some cheer to Campco |
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MANGALURU: The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd has succeeded in drawing fairly large concessions that concern arecanut and tobacco growers in India.
A high-level delegation of this multi-state cooperative that met Union minister of state for commerce Nirmala Sitharaman with several Union ministers that included D V Sadananda Gowda, and Ananth Kumar, elicited favourable response from Nirmala to their demands.
Konkodi Padmanabha, president, Campco Ltd, said Nirmala Sitharaman in the discussion that went on for 2-1/2 hours agreed to initiate immediate steps to stop import of arecanut from Nepal, a non-arecanut growing area. The commerce ministry agreed to agree the minimum import value of arecanut from the present level and also involve the directorate of revenue intelligence to detect and stop illegal import of arecanut across Indian borders.
The minister agreed to examine favourably a decision to keep areca imports outside the purview of SAARC agreement and also initiate steps to protect interests of arecanut growers in the ongoing case before the Supreme Court.
Nirmala, and the other Union ministers, who responded positively to demands assured the Campco delegation that all steps will be taken to safeguard interests of growers as per directions given by PM Narendra Modi in this regard. Konkodi also backed a demand by Mysuru MP Pratap Simha on need for the centre to come to rescue of tobacco growers and that any ban on tobacco should not be at the cost of livelihood of tobacco growers.
Source : timesofindia.indiatimes.com
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