Campco to procure cocoa in select centres from today

Central Arecanut and Cocoa Advertising and marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd will commence the obtain of cocoa from farmers in minimal centres in Karnataka from April nine.

Suresh Bhandary, Controlling Director of Campco, informed BusinessLine that the cooperative has received permission from the Puttur Assistant Commissioner to procure cocoa from farmers the moment a 7 days in a several centres in Dakshina Kannada district.

The cooperative had had to quit procurement of arecanut, cocoa, rubber from farmers subsequent the implementation of a nationwide lockdown.

Bhandary mentioned Campco will procure cocoa from farmers at the Vittal, Adyanadka, Sullia and Kadaba centres in Dakshina Kannada on Thursdays. It will also buy the commodity from farmers at the Puttur and Belthangady centres on Fridays and Mondays, respectively.

This system will continue on till the lockdown is lifted. The procurement, which will be finished amongst nine am and 12 noon, will be minimal to these centres only, he mentioned.

Moist cocoa beans

Stating that wet cocoa beans are a perishable commodity, he mentioned they involve proper fermentation to be converted into dry beans. Typically farmers market wet cocoa beans to the cooperative.

The cooperative was buying wet cocoa beans at ₹55-58 a kg prior to the lockdown, he mentioned.