Mangaluru: The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co-operative (CAMPCO) Ltd has strongly condemned Godda MP Nishikant Dubey’s demand for prohibiting betel nuts for human consumption.
Dubey had urged the Prime Minister to prohibit the use of betel nuts (supari) for human consumption, claiming it has harmful effects on health.
“Arecanut has several medicinal properties such as decreasing Diabetes, Cholesterol, Alzheimer’s disease, killing several pathogenic bacteria, fungi, protozoan parasites, etc. It has anti-HIV and aids, Antimalarial, Anthelmintic properties too. It helps in reducing pain and curing wounds and ulcers etc. It has good Anti-venom properties,” The President of CAMPCO A Kishore Kumar Kodgi said.
“In spite of the above, it is shocking to note that Nishikant Dubey has listed out harmful effects of Betelnut on human health without any proven scientific evidences. This is not only misleading but has also hurt the sentiments of the Arecanut Farmers of the Region,” he said.
“Time and again it has been proved that Arecanut alone is not at all Carcinogenic. Recent researches conducted by Competent Research Institutes, domestic as well as International, have proved positive results. In 1974, the Scientists from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru reported that Arecanut cures Cancer.
The same has also been substantiated by a group of eminent Scientists in the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University, Atlanta, USA. In China, already more than 30 Medicines have been prepared using Arecanut and is being practiced even now as reported in “Materia Medica”. To that extent CAMPCO has already initiated measures for Research work by allotting the same to reputed research Institutes having an International reputation,” he added.
He also noted that the Supreme Court has ruled that Arecanut is ‘Food’ within the meaning of Section 2 (v) of the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act.
CAMPCO has decided to appeal to the Prime Minister for issuing instructions to the concerned offices for conducting thorough Scientific Research on the health benefits of Arecanut and thus maintain the morale of the Farmers.
