Mangalore: CAMPCO, the apex body of the areca growers of the region is happy with the Union Government decision to increase the minimum import price of arecanut to Rs 75 per kg from Rs 35.

Speaking to reporters in Mangalore on August 21, Tuesday, Konkodi Padmanabha, Chairman of CAMPCO, said the decision of the Directorate General of Foreign Trade was an Independence Day gift to growers and added a longstanding demand has been fulfilled.

He said the latest move, would be a great encouragement to domestic areca growers. Padmanabha also pointed out that the Union Commerce Ministry in a reply to the MP from Mangalore, had informed that 76,041.39 tonnes of arecanut worth Rs 258.82 crore were imported from different countries in 2010-11. If the average import price from Indonesia was Rs 22.34, it was Rs 25.48 for the arecanut imported from Thailand.