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Nagpur: In a surprise crackdown operation conducted on Monday, a team from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in Mumbai, in collaboration with local FDA officials, conducted raids on several betel nut traders in Nagpur. The raids were prompted by suspicions of adulteration, tax evasion, and the use of substandard materials in the betel nut industry. Betel nuts with an estimated value of more than Rs 3 crore were seized from five firms during the operation, a report in a local English daily said.
The betel nut industry in Nagpur is known to be worth crores of rupees and is regarded as a significant trade hub in Central India.
According to the report, the FDA teams carried out the raids at a cold storage facility in Leegaon and a manufacturing unit in Kalamna, suspecting the use of substandard quality materials in the production process. The raids, specifying that they were conducted at a manufacturing unit known as Priti Industries in Kalamna and four firms situated at Farmico cold storage in Leegaon. The FDA confiscated a total of 11,727 kg of betel nuts in Kalamna, with a market value of more than Rs 56.19 lakh. The operation was executed by two separate teams, consisting of Food Safety Officers Yaduraj Dahatonde, Sandeep Suryavanshi, Rajesh Yadav, PC Manvatkar, LP Soyyam, AY Sontakke, and SV Babre.
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The report further quoted Assistant Commissioner (Vigilance) A S Mahajan as saying that consignments from four firms, valued at approximately Rs 2.60 crore, were seized from Farmico cold storage. The seizures were carried out on the suspicion of these firms using substandard materials in their products. Mahajan stated that samples of the seized items would be sent to government laboratories for thorough examination. The entire raid operation was directed by FDA Minister Dharmaraobaba Atram, the media report added.
It is noteworthy that the FDA has received numerous complaints regarding betel nut traders in Nagpur allegedly mixing palm seeds with betel nuts to reduce costs in an already competitive market. This situation has led to a division among traders, with some advocating for the inclusion of palm seeds and others opposing it. In response to these concerns, FDA Commissioner Abhimanyu Kale has instructed the agency to conduct frequent raids to maintain the integrity and quality of betel nuts in the market.
The outcome of the laboratory examinations and any subsequent legal actions will be closely monitored as this issue continues to unfold in Nagpur’s betel nut industry.
