Stop Illegal Arecanut Imports from Myanmar via Mizoram: Campco

The Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd has urged the government to stop illegal arecanut imports from Myanmar via Mizoram.

Kishore Kumar Kodgi, President of Campco, stated in a letter to the Prime Minister that arecanut smuggling from Myanmar is rampant through the Champhai and Lawngtlai districts of Mizoram, which border the Chin Hills of Myanmar.

Issue of Smugglers:

He claimed that smugglers are building numerous illegal roads on the Indian side of the border in Mizoram. It is estimated that the Champhai district alone has around 40 illegal smuggling routes.

He claimed that smugglers use a variety of methods to transport their goods, including taking a detour to avoid the last Central Excise and Customs duty post at Selin Village on the road to Aizawl via Saitual Tualbung - Khanpui - Tipaimukh - Aizawl.

He claimed that smuggled arecanut is subject to a 5% GST, despite the fact that there is not a single drying or processing unit in Mizoram to justify the levy. The two districts have very few arecanut plantation.

The need of the hour, he said, is for the Union government to take immediate corrective action by nullifying the various measures taken to validate the smuggled arecanut through the Indo-Myanmar border in violation of rules and regulations, as well as to maintain strict border vigilance.

Kodgi stated that a memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister by Vanramchhuangi, a social and environmental activist from Mizoram, highlighted the smuggling of dried arecanut from foreign countries to India via the Indo-Myanmar border of Mizoram.

He stated that Campco has verified the marketing scenario in Mizoram and supports the contents of the memorandum submitted to the Prime Minister by Vanramchhuangi.

Such illegal entry of arecanut into India through the country’s North-Eastern border may affect the domestic arecanut farming community, he said, requesting to direct the authorities concerned to initiate immediate remedial action.

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