Union Minister for Home and Cooperation Amit Shah on Friday promised a delegation of people’s representatives from Karnataka’s arecanut growing regions and CAMPCO that suitable action will be taken regarding the deviations in arecanut markets brought to his notice and reaffirmed his support to cooperatives and their members.

The delegation comprising Members of Parliament Vishweshwara Hegde Kageri, B.Y. Raghavendra, Kota Srinivas Poojary, Tirthahalli MLA Araga Jnanendra, CAMPCO president S.R. Sathishchandra and managing director B.V. Sathyanarayana, met Mr. Shah in New Delhi and apprised him of the concerns of arecanut growers in Karnataka.

It specifically drew his attention to the illegal and undervalued import of arecanut through various HS (harmonised system) classifications, including the import of roasted arecanut under the new classification introduced from October last. Such imports, particularly when entering the domestic market at low prices, are adversely affecting domestic arecanut prices. The members also brought to the Minister’s notice the issue of duty-free and non-MIP-compliant imports finding way into the domestic market, thereby undermining the objective of measures introduced to protect domestic arecanut growers.

Mr. Sathishchandra emphasised the need for a “One Nation, One Tax” approach in the true spirit of GST. He said cooperatives were subjected to additional local taxes and levies in certain States, while private traders were often able to structure their operations to avoid such burdens, putting cooperatives at a competitive disadvantage. He sought a uniform taxation framework.

GST on copper sulphate

Meeting Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman, the delegation raised the issue of high GST rate on copper sulphate used as a fungicide in bordeaux mixture applied for arecanut and other plantation crops.

While copper sulphate attracts 18% GST when used as a fungicide, it attracts 5% GST when used as a micronutrient. The delegation sought a rationalisation of the GST rate applicable to copper sulphate used for agricultural and plant-protection purposes.

Ms. Sitharaman told the delegation of the government’s measures to prevent illegal import routes and strengthening vigilance at ports to curb the entry of improperly imported goods.

Published - August 08, 2026 07:23 pm IST