Amendment of roasted arecanut import policy helped increasing the price of low-grade arecanut: CAMPCO
Since the DGFT notification, the prices of low-grade arecanut varieties such as the 'kari gotu' have increased by 50% (from ₹100 to ₹150 per kg), 'pathora' by 16.66% (from ₹300 to ₹ 350 per kg) and 'ulli' by 38.88% (from ₹180 to ₹250 per kg), A. Kishore Kumar Kodgi, president, CAMPCO Ltd, Mangaluru, told The Hindu.
The revised policy has recategorised roasted arecanut to 'prohibited' from 'free'. In its notification on April 2, the DGFT brought it from under the Indian Trade Classification (ITC) Harmonised System (HS) Code 08028090 and 20081920, to a single Code 08028090 which covered all kinds of processed arecanut, including roasted arecanut.
Since there is a uniform HS code for the import of arecanuts, the import of low-grade arecanuts has become costlier, Mr. Kodgi said.
Upward trend continues
The CAMPCO president said that the domestic arecanut market has maintained an upward trend since the beginning of this year, owing to the drop in production during the harvest season between December 2024 and March 2025.
Mr. Kodgi said that farmers have reported crop loss ranging between 60% and 70%.
He said that if the price of 'hosa adike' ('chali' harvested in the current season) went up by 31.4%, from ₹350 a kg in January to ₹460 a kg on May 12, the price of 'single chol' (harvested a year ago and stocked) increased by 9.89% from ₹455 per kg to 500 a k.g. on Monday.
'Expecting that prices will go up further, the farmers are not releasing the produce into the market. Hence, there is stability in the market,' the president said.
Mahesh Puchchappady, president of the All India Areca Growers' Association, Puttur, said that the drop in production this year's harvest season is attributed to climate change. As this is the fruiting season, any extreme change in the climate during the next fortnight, before the onset of monsoon, will be crucial in deciding the crop production for the next harvesting season. The next season's production will also depend upon the severity of 'kole roga' (fruit rot disease) in the plantations in this monsoon, he added.
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