BJP chief promises research centres for areca, coconut

He tries to win the favour of growers of these two crops by holding separate conventions

BJP national president Amit Shah on Monday tried to please coconut and arecanut growers by holding separate conventions and assuring them of concrete help if the party was voted to power.

Mr. Shah said in Thirthahalli town of Shivamogga district that if his party came to power in Karnataka, ₹500 crore would be spent on setting up a study centre on arecanut in Shivamogga district.

He said that the study on health benefits of arecanut would be taken up at the centre.

He alleged that owing to international trade pacts, which were signed by Congress governments in power at the Centre, a large volume of arecanut is being imported to India resulting in the decline in the price of the local produce.

He also claimed that the NDA government had taken corrective measures in 2017.

He said that the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare had announced the procurement of arecanut through five cooperative societies in Karnataka in December 2016, under market intervention scheme(MIS). He alleged that the State government didn’t extended necessary cooperation for the MIS owing to which the procurement could not be done.

Earlier, addressing a convention of coconut growers in Tiptur, Mr. Shah promised to set up a world-class coconut research centre in the area if the BJP came to power.

Mr. Shah ate Kobbari mitai (sweet made of copra) and then inaugurated the coconut growers’ convention by watering the coconut sapling.