Betelnut growers demand probe into illegal imports

Concerned over the decline in betelnut prices, major cooperative bodies of arecanut growers on Monday demanded an inquiry by the country's premier investigation agency into illegal imports of the commodity.

Members of the cooperative bodies want to meet senior ministers and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi in this regard between June 25 and 27. The main purpose of the delegation is to demand stringent action against illegal imports, besides fixation of base price and seeking an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into illegal imports of betelnut during the past five years.

Shantaram Hegde, chairman of the Karnataka-based Totgars' Cooperative Sales Society which represents Betelnut Agriculture Cooperative Societies, said in a release that the crisis in arecanut market would directly affect the economic conditions of growers in Karnataka and Kerela.

He said, according to the information gathered, it is believed about 60,000 tonnes of arecanut are imported each year. "Basically most of the importers take the path of under-invoicing, resulting into a loss of hundreds of crores of custom duty to exchequer," he said.