Opposition to inclusion of betel nut in the list of free trade agreements under RCEP
Mangaluru, Ta. October 22, 2019, Tuesday
Stakeholders in the sector are pushing the government to exclude the betel nut from the proposed Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) free trade agreement.
While Indian betel nut makers are facing such challenges due to imports of betel nut imported from Thailand and Indonesia, under the RCEP, problems will increase if the betel nut is included in the list of free trade.
It is also produced in the country as demand for betel nut. It is estimated that 1 lakh tonnes of betel nut is produced on a daily basis. In such a situation, if the betel nut is covered in a free trade agreement, the betel nut manufacturers of India will have to endure a lot.
In Indonesia and Thailand, the cost of betel nut is much lower. The free trade agreement will help stabilize the betel nut in these countries while the betel nut market here will deteriorate, a local trader said.
The government is thought to be drawing attention in this regard and will be asked to exclude it from the list of free trade agreements, he said.
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