Bantwal: We regard to announce the sudden death of Varanasi Subraya Bhat (87) due to deceases of an advancing age, on Friday morning at 4 am at his home in Adyanadka in Bantwal Taluk.

The cooperative founded by him in 1973 near Bunder, Mangalore and named as CAMPCO (Central Areca nut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Ltd.) is the largest cooperative of its kind in Asia, comparable to AMUL milk cooperative company of Gujarat.

But founded a chocolate factory next in size second only to AMUL, at Puttur in DK district, in 1986, which manufactured chocolates for children, in many sizes and names.
He leaves two sons and two daughters besides a very large circle of friends, Areca nut and Cocoa growers in the district.

Tributes have started pouring in from all carters of the coastal region and the state in memory of the Giant of modern cooperative under takings, V S Bhatt.

In a condolence massage sent from Dharmasthala, Dharmadhikari Dr. Veerendra Heggade, has described late Varanasi Subraya Bhat as a great agriculturist who fought for the rights of common farmers in agriculture, horticulture and other crops which were used in CAMPCO later on.