Agriculture Minister reviews damage to arecanut crop
22-Aug-2025 09:39 AM
Agriculture Minister reviews damage to arecanut crop
★ A disease has affected 20–40% of the arecanut crop in Karnataka.
★ India accounts for 63% of global arecanut production, with output reaching 1.4 million tonnes in 2023-24, up from 0.95 million tonnes in 2022-23.
★ Karnataka is the largest producer with about 1 million tonnes, followed by Kerala, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and other states.
★ The Agriculture Minister said the government has taken several steps to protect farmers’ interests, such as imposing 100% import duty, raising the minimum import price from ₹251/kg to ₹351/kg, and tightening quality norms for imported goods under FSSAI.
★ Customs authorities have also been instructed to thoroughly review the certificate of origin.
★ The disease is expected to significantly impact production, which may lead to higher imports.
★ With declining domestic output, exporters may raise arecanut prices, leading to expectations of price increases in the future.