Mangaluru: Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd. (CAMPCO) has exported its first consignment of processed tender arecanut to a Chinese company for making chewing mouth freshner on a trial basis.

The 360-kg consignment was sent on Thursday to Kou Wei Wang Company, according to a press release by the cooperative here on Friday.

“Select tender arecanut from Shivamogga, Puttur and Coimbatore regions have been processed at CAMPCO, Puttur, and after certifying the quality of the produce at the Plant Quarantine Laboratory of the Union government, the consignment was exported. This step is a move towards the economical development of the farmer growers. It is learnt that China has a very good demand for processed tender arecanut and based on the success of this consignment, arecanut growers will be greatly benefited,” the release said.

S.R. Satishchandra, president of the cooperative, and Suresh Bhandary M., managing director, were present during the flagging off of the first export consignment, it said.

Meanwhile, the company is said to be preparing it without adding tobacco and with value addition of other products.

According to Mr. Bhandary, the company would use the sample for research and development in making the mouth freshner.

A delegation of CAMPCO visited China for six days from June 13 this year and held talks with the company.

The cooperative and the company have held three rounds of talks since July last and have signed a memorandum of understanding. The company would prepare the mouth freshener from the peel of the tender arecanut.