The Hindu Business Line : Areca coop body to market other produce too

Mangalore Agriculturists' Sahakari Sangha (MASS) Ltd — a farmers' cooperative engaged in processing and marketing of arecanut — plans to market other commodities produced by arecanut growers.

It will soon market honey in the domestic market, especially in North India. Apart from arecanut, MASS currently markets pepper in the North.

Addressing newspersons here on Tuesday, Mr Sridhar Bhide, MASS President, said MASS attempts to market all farmers' produce. The association is in talks with the South Kanara Bee-Keepers' Cooperative Society at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district to market honey procured and processed by the society under the MASS brand name. This was likely to begin in May or June this year, he said.

MASS has arecanut marketing units in Gujarat and Maharashtra. To strengthen its position in north India, it plans units at Junagad in Gujarat and Pune in Maharashtra. Pepper and honey will also be marketed at these centres, he said.

MASS registered a profit of Rs 8.12 lakh in the last financial year. In 2005-06, the association marketed 11,375 quintals of arecanut worth Rs 7.97 crore and 33.82 quintals of pepper worth Rs 2.38 lakh in the domestic market.

Stressing the need for awareness on futures trading and arecanut processing among farmers, Mr Bhide said MASS would soon conduct programmes covering these aspects at several villages in the arecanut-growing areas.

He urged growers to release arecanut at regular intervals to maintain stability in the market. Only 20 per cent of the arecanut market is with cooperative organisations, and private traders hold the rest. In such a situation, it is important for growers to sell in the regulated market, he added.

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