The government has disallowed import of betelnuts from Nepal and the commodity can now be brought into the country only from the Mangalore port in Karnataka. | |
| A notification issued by the Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) said that all betel nut varieties "" whole, split and ground "" will now be allowed only through Mangalore port. |
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| Earlier, betelnut of Nepal-origin was permitted through Jogbani and Panitanki Land Customs Stations located on the border between the two countries. |
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| The DGFT on July 10 had restricted betel nut imports into the country by designating the Mangalore port and Jogbani and Panitanki land customs stations as entry points. The step was taken following allegations of large scale smuggling of betel nut into the country. |
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| Major cooperative bodies of betel nut (arecanut) growers in June had demanded a CBI inquiry into illegal import of the commodity into the country leading to a drop in prices. |
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| The growers had demanded action against illegal imports and fixation of a base price as is done in the case of edible oil import. |
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| Shantaram Hegde, Chairman of Karnataka-based Totgars' Cooperative Sales Society, which is representing Betel nut Agriculture Cooperative Societies, had said the crisis in betel nut market would directly affect the economic conditions of growers in Karnataka and Kerala. |
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| He had alleged that most of the importers report under-invoicing in the trade where about 60,000 tons is brought into the country every year. |
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