Imported roasted arecanut being 'misclassified', could disrupt market: CAMPCO
Mangaluru (Karnataka) Jan 25 (PTI): Mangaluru-based multi-state cooperative, Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative, expressed concern on Saturday over the challenges faced by domestic arecanut growers due to the import of roasted arecanut into India.
CAMPCO has sent a letter, dated January 25, to Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal seeking his intervention immediately.
"Imported roasted arecanut is being classified under HSN code 20081920 as a value-added product, allegedly bypassing customs duties through misclassification," CAMPCO wrote in the letter.
This practice, CAMPCO asserted, disrupts market equilibrium, denying domestic growers fair prices for their produce despite supply shortages.
According to CAMPCO, the imports are facilitated through Advance Ruling Licences, which attract only 12 per cent GST.
The imported arecanut is being mixed with locally produced arecanut and sold, compromising product quality, it alleged.
"Such practices may lead to rejection by bulk buyers, affecting the reputation and demand for arecanut in both domestic and northern markets," added CAMPCO.
Consequently, prices of locally grown arecanut are likely to plummet, significantly impacting growers’ incomes, pointed out the organisation.
To address these issues, CAMPCO has appealed to the government to set a Minimum Import Price (MIP) for all arecanut imports, introduce a unified HSN code for all forms of arecanut to prevent misclassification and strengthen regulatory measures, and frame policies to ensure fair prices for domestic growers.
Additionally, CAMPCO has urged growers to avoid purchasing imported arecanut or mixing it with local produce to safeguard the interests of the farming community. The organisation remains committed to protecting the welfare of arecanut farmers.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
