Mangaluru: The Rajasthan government’s recent ban on pan masala has got the arecanut growers of the Dakshina Kannada district worried.

Most of the farmers in this district are engaged in arecanut cultivation, which is also a major source of their income. Rajasthan’s ban on pan masala means that it will stop buying arecanut, causing the prices to fall.

Rajasthan is the third state to ban pan masala after Bihar and Maharashtra.

“My main source of income is arecanut. I will be out on the streets if the prices of arecanut falls or if there is no demand for our arecanut,” a worried Dasappa Gowda of Sullia tells Newskarnataka.com.

Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Co-operative (CAMPCO) Limited, a co-operative society, however, opines that Rajasthan’s ban will not affect the growers in a big way, as it is not a major consumer of arecanut.

CAMPCO President S R Sathischandra said that Rajasthan’s ban will have a small effect, if any. He said that it will only be a temporary setback. He also informed that, if Gujarat bans arecanut products like pan masala, it would definitely impact Karnataka.