Copper sulphate is an essential input for farmers engaged in growing arecanut, cocoa, pepper, cardamom, coffee, and other plantation crops
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SAMPATH KUMAR GP
The President of Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd, A Kishore Kumar Kodgi, has requested the Central government to reduce GST on copper sulphate used in agriculture.
Submitting a memorandum to the Dakshina Kannada MP, Brijesh Chowta, at the Foundation Day celebration of Campco in Mangaluru on Friday, he said copper sulphate is an essential input for farmers engaged in growing arecanut, cocoa, pepper, cardamom, coffee, and other plantation crops. It is widely used as a fungicide and micronutrient, yet currently draws 18 per cent GST, unlike fertilisers and micronutrients that are taxed at 5 per cent.
economic hardship
Stating that this discrepancy causes both confusion and economic hardship to farmers, he requested the MP to impress upon the Union Finance Minister and the GST Council to reduce GST on copper sulphate to 5 per cent when used for agricultural purposes.
He also sought uniform classification for copper sulphate under a single HSN code for agricultural use, whether as a fungicide or micronutrient. Addressing the gathering earlier, Chowta said he would extend all the help to handle the issues related to arecanut growers in the region.
Urging the cooperative to focus more on research and innovation in its areas of operations, he suggested it can take the help of educational institutions in the region in this regard.
Study undertaken
Speaking on the occasion, KB Hebbar, Director of the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod, said CPCRI, along with 16 other national-level institutes and medical institutions, has taken up a study on arecanut and human health.
It is to be noted here that the Union Agriculture Ministry had stated in Lok Sabha in December 2024 that evidence-based research on ‘arecanut and human health’ will be taken up to address the knowledge gap and provide conclusive evidence on the health effects of arecanut.
The Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Bhagirath Choudhary, had told Lok Sabha then that certain research papers on the health effects of arecanut quoted by the World Health Organisation had methodological limitations leading to inconclusive reports.
Most of these studies focused on the health impacts of chewing mixtures, such as betel quid and gutkha, which contain arecanut along with other ingredients. “They did not indicate the sole and specific effects of consumption of arecanut isolate on human health,” he said.
To mark the celebrations, Campco released three chocolate products and a soil conditioner product on the occasion.
Published on July 11, 2025