CAMPCO Challenges IARC's Areca Nut Classification

CAMPCO urged Union Health Minister J P Nadda to address data manipulation allegations against IARC, claiming misclassification of areca nuts as carcinogenic. CAMPCO argued this impacts farmers' livelihoods negatively and urged a reevaluation and further research by AIIMS and IISc.

The Central Areca Nuts and Cocoa Marketing Processing Cooperative Ltd (CAMPCO) has raised alarms over the International Agency for Research on Cancer's (IARC) classification of areca nuts as carcinogenic. Accusing the agency of data manipulation, CAMPCO has petitioned Union Health Minister J P Nadda for corrective action.

According to CAMPCO, the studies used by the World Health Organisation were focused mainly on tobacco research but purportedly extended to include areca nuts through distorted data. This, they claim, has severely impacted the livelihood of numerous farmers reliant on areca nut farming.

To counteract these claims, CAMPCO has called for a thorough review of the classification and advocated for advanced research by renowned institutions like AIIMS and IISc. They express optimism for government backing to safeguard farmer interests.

(With inputs from agencies.)