Lok Sabha Question No. 1508 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-29
Subject: Import of Arecanut
Ministry: COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
Asked by: Shri Kota Srinivasa Poojary

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1508

ANSWERED ON 29.07.2025

## IMPORT OF ARECANUT

## 1508. SHRI KOTA SRINIVASA POOJARY:

Will the Minister of COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY ( वाणिज्य और उद्योग मंत्री ) be pleased to state :-

- (a) Whether import of Arecanut has taken place mainly from Sri Lanka, Indonesia and other South East Asian countries during the last three years and the current year;
- (b) if so, the country-wise and year-wise import data of arecanut for the last three years and the current year as on 31st December, 2024;
- (c) the average price of Arecanut since 2024-25;
- (d) whether there has been an adverse impact of such import on the prices of arecanut in the domestic market;
- (e) if so, the details thereof along with the steps taken to discourage the import of arecanut into the country;
- (f) whether there has been a drastic fall in arecanut prices in local market due to illegal import of arecanut by resorting to misdeclaring the cargo; and
- (g) if so, the details thereof along with the remedies contemplated thereof?

## ANSWER

THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY

वाणिज्य और उद्योग मंत्रालय में राज्य मंत्री ( श्री णिणिन प्रसाद ) (SHRI JITIN PRASADA)

(a)&(b) : The country wise import data of Arecanut in India, during the last four years and the current year is as below:

(Value in USD Million)

|   S. No. | COUNTRY              | 2021-22   | 2022-23   | 2023-24   | 2024-25   | 2024-25 (April-Dec)   |
|----------|----------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------------------|
|        1 | SRI LANKA            | 43.64     | 61.37     | 69.87     | 35.97     | 27.86                 |
|        2 | MYANMAR              | 27.12     | 111.76    | 15.61     | 33.20     | 31.98                 |
|        3 | INDONESIA            | 14.22     | 58.32     | 43.14     | 15.36     | 12.66                 |
|        4 | BANGLADESH           | -         | 0.03      | 13.29     | 53.06     | 43.65                 |
|        5 | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | 2.66      | 18.87     | 5.08      | 2.45      | 2.39                  |
|        6 | NEPAL                | 1.43      | 6.29      | -         | -         | -                     |
|        7 | OMAN                 | -         | -         | -         | 0.91      | 0.91                  |
|        8 | MALAYSIA             | 0.79      | 0.65      | -         | 1.21      | 1.21                  |

| 9   | SINGAPORE   | 0.33   | 0.70   |   0.43 |   0.61 | 0.61   |
|-----|-------------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|
| 10  | THAILAND    | -      | -      |   0.33 |   0.21 | -      |
|     | Others      | 0.00   | 0.18   |   0.23 |   0.47 | 0.27   |
|     | Grand Total | 90.18  | 258.19 | 147.99 | 143.45 | 121.54 |

Source: DGCIS

(c)  to  (g):  The  average  price  of  Arecanut  recorded  in  Kozhikode(Kerala)  and  Sirsi (Karnatka) markets,  which  are  the  two  main  producing  states  in  the  country  is  as below:

| Description                  |   January-June 2024 Average price (Rs/quintal) |   January-June 2025 Average price (Rs/quintal) |
|------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| Kozhikode (Arecanut dry new) |                                        31916.7 |                                        32388.8 |
| Sirsi (Chali new)            |                                        36316.2 |                                        37856.7 |

As evident above, there seems to be no adverse impact of import on the prices of Arecanut in domestic market.

(Source: Department of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare)

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