Mangalore, Dec 11: The scientific records proved that arecanut does not contain any harmful things in it. In 2007 High Court of Karnataka announced that arecanut does not contain carcinogenic or cancer-causing elements said president of the multi-state co-operative Konkodi Padmanabha.
Addressing reporters at a press conference here on Wednesday, he said that the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) will take all the necessary action to protect the interests of arecanut growers in the state, amidst the proposal to ban arecanut he said.
Arecanut is grown in 12 states in the country and plenty of growers and labourers depend on this crop for their livelihood. Elected representatives should see to it that false reports disfavouring arecanut are not submitted in the Supreme Court, he said, claiming that Central administrative officials were working to ban arecanut.
He said that delegations from Campco have met the Central agriculture minister and commerce minister to safeguard the interests of arecanut growers. A delegation also met the Prime Minister to argue in favour of arecanut growers in the apex court. There is a suspicion that the tobacco manufacturers are lobbying behind the proposed arecanut ban, which is due for hearing on January 6 before a newly-constituted bench in the Supreme Court, he said.
Campco vice-president K Satishchandra Bhandary and manager-director M Suresh Bhandary were present.
