Mangalore: The Karnataka Agriculture Commission Price Commission has said that the commission will recommend to the government to commence online and e-trading of arecanut to avoid middlemen in APMCs.

Prakash Kammaradi, chairperson of the commission said that in the wake of fluctuations in arecanut prices in the recent times, there was a need to stabilize the price.

He was addressing the mediapersons here on August 30. It is unfortunate that majority of trading of arecanut takes place outside the purview of the APMC, Campco and Mamcos. He stressed the need to establish a separate board for arecanut on the model of the coffee Board and Rubber Board which provides a direct link with the govt, he said.

He said that the commission will give priority to increase the production of ragi, jowar and rain fed paddy cultivation. He also assured that the commssion will also recommend to the govt as why not take an initiative to include ragi, jowar under MGNREGS to solve the problem of shortage of labourers.

Campco president Konkody Padmanabha, Krushika Samaja president Sampath Samrajya , Zilla panchayath chief executive officer Tulasi Maddineni, Horticulture department deputy director Yogesh H R and farmers were present.