Allaying fears that the government may ban arecanut, the Central Arecanut and Cooperative Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd. said on Friday that the areca tea bagging the second national award from the Union government a week ago indicates that arecanut is not facing the threat.
Addressing presspersons here S.R. Satishchandra, president, Campco, said that Nivedan Nempe from Mandagadde, Shivamogga district, the maker of areca tea, bagged the Union government’s Agro Food Start Up award from the Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA) in Delhi last month.
His start-up Mystic Aromatics manufactured areca tea. Earlier in 2015, his areca tea had bagged the Make in India Excellence Award from the government.
The president said that the two awards for areca tea have boosted the morale of arecanut farmers at a time when rumors are being spread that the government may ban arecanut based on some reports that it is carcinogenic.
He said that though many reports have said that arecanut has medicinal properties they have not come to light. The Campco congratulated Mr. Nempe for his research on arecanut and getting two national awards for his product.
Mr. Nempe said that in addition to the original arecanut flavour the areca tea is available in lemon, ginger, mint and tulsi flavours. It has been exported to West Indies and the UAE from where the tea has received good response.
It would also be exported to the Netherlands this year.
Without disclosing the details he said that an interim report by a laboratory which conducted clinical trials on arecanut has many cheers to arecanut growers. Its details would be disclosed within a fortnight.
He said that the lack of awareness on the medicinal properties of arecanut has made some people fear about its use. The response from people to his areca tea on health grounds is promising, Mr. Nempe said.
