Mangaluru: Areca Tea, founded by researcher Nivedan Nempe has been honoured with the annual Best Agriculture Startup Award by Indian Council of Food and Agriculture (ICFA). Hailed for the various health benefits areca tea offers, the award for this startup, which had earlier bagged the Make in India award comes at a time when rumours about areca being carcinogenic, has left its cultivators worried.
Union Minister for Commerce and Industries Suresh Prabhu handed over the honour to Nivedan Nempe at a programme organised by the ICFA in New Delhi.
Speaking on the occasion, Nempe, a Shivamogga native said that an interim report given by recognised laboratories conducting research on areca nut reveals that it is not dangerous. “Within few days, the complete report would come, and it would clear several doubts”, he added.
He also said that areca nut tea was being exported to the foreign countries and there was huge demand from the West Indies also. There are plans to export it to USA and Netherlands, he added.
Congratulating Nivedan Nempe for his research on the healthy benefits of areca nut, through which he helped create more demand for the crop, Campco Limited President S R Sathishchandra said, “When gossips are rife that areca nut is carcinogenic, the areca nut tea has proved that the nut is healthy. It is relevant that the Central government too recognises it.”
