3 months ago
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Fearing that the World Health Organisation (WHO) mightiness urge banning arecanut connected the crushed that it causes cancer, a starring cooperative assemblage of arecanut farmers of Karnataka and Kerala has written to Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda to urge to WHO to re-classify arecanut from Group I to Group II-B.
Currently, the International Agency for Research connected Cancer (IARC), nether WHO, has placed arecanut nether Group I (carcinogenic to humans) portion arecoline, 1 of its main constituents, is classified nether Group II B (possibly carcinogenic to humans), stated S. R. Satishchandra, president, Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Limited (CAMPCO), Mangaluru, successful his January 24 missive to the Minister.
“Such contradictions underscore the request for further rigorous, India-specific technological scrutiny earlier arriving astatine immoderate policy-level conclusion,” the missive states.
Mr. Satishchandra said that the re-classification (from Group I to Group II-B) beryllium done ‘at slightest arsenic an interim measure’ till the Indian government’s on-going ‘evidence-based probe connected arecanut and quality health’ is completed. The multi-institutional probe is led by the Central Arecanut Plantation and Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), nether the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The All-India Institute of Medical Sciences; the National Botanical Research Institute; the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology; the Indian Institute of Science; Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research; the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI); Kasturba Medical College; K.S. Hegde Medical Academy, and SDM College of Medical Sciences and Hospital are portion of the probe team.
The CAMPCO, implicit a 50-year-old multi-State cooperative assemblage of Karnataka and Kerala farmers, wrote the missive successful presumption of WHO’s South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) organising a webinar connected January 30 connected the taxable ‘Areca Nut Challenge: Turning Policy into Impact successful South-East Asia’.
The missive stated that the webinar follows deliberations arising from a declaration made successful Sri Lanka successful October 2025, and appears to absorption connected argumentation modulation and implementation related to arecanut.
The WHO classification, arsenic wide noted, is mostly derived from studies examining chewing preparations, specified arsenic betel quid, gutkha, and cookware masala, which see baccy and different additives, alternatively than arecanut successful its earthy oregon accepted form, the CAMPCO stated.
It claimed that a prohibition connected arecanut volition person far-reaching socio-economic implications. India is the largest shaper of arecanut globally, and its cultivation supports the livelihood of astir 2 crore persons done farming and allied activities crossed 11 States, notably Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Assam.
Arecanut occupies a important spot successful India’s religious, social, and taste traditions. Reference tin beryllium recovered successful ayurvedic literature, including the Charaka Samhita, the missive stated.
The Union Government informed the Rajya Sabha connected August 1, 2025 that, arsenic per 2023-24 estimates, Karnataka is the largest shaper of arecanut successful India with an yearly accumulation of 10.32 lakh tonnes, which constitutes 73% of full arecanut production, done cultivation connected an country of 6.77 lakh hectares, which constitutes 71% of full country nether arecanut successful India. Total nationalist accumulation stood astatine 14.11 lakh tonnes.
Mr. Satishchandra has besides written to Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal; Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan; Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah; Kerala Chief Minister Pinayari Vijayan, and Chennai-based M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation Chairperson Soumya Swaminathan.
