‘Subject imported arecanut to stringent quality tests’

‘It is suspected that their consumption is injurious to health’

B.A. Ramesh Hegde, president of the Shivamogga District Arecanut Growers' Association, has urged the Union government to direct the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) to subject imported arecanut to stringent quality tests.

The total import of arecanut, which was 18,228 quintals in 2013-14, had risen to 1,00,846 quintals in 2014-15. In the wake of complaints that imported arecanut was of poor quality, the FSSAI should conduct quality checks on its arrival at the ports, he said at a press conference here on Saturday.

At present, the import duty charged on arecanut was low due to trade agreement under the South Asia Free Trade Area (SAFTA). Imports from the members of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) were exempted from all duties. For protecting the interests of native growers, the Union government should keep arecanut out of the purview of SAFTA and SAARC trade agreements and impose a total ban on its import, he said.

Mr. Hegde urged the Union government to implement the recommendations of Gorakh Singh panel on extending loans for arecanut growers, who were in financial distress due to pest and fungal attacks on the crop and the resultant loss of yield.