The pride of co-operatives in the Southern state of Karnataka, CAMPCO has crossed an all-time high turnover of Rs 1,742.00 crore in the financial year 2017-18. With four and a half decades of service, CAMPCO continues to strive for the economic growth of the farming community, said its President S.R.Satishchandra.
Satishchandra was speaking on the occasion of the 44th Annual General Meeting held on the 29th September at Sangha Niketan, Prathap Nagar in Mangalore. The total production of CAMPCO Chocolate Factory has touched 13685 MTs out of which 9530.39MTs is produced for our own CAMPCO brand and sold Chocolates worth Rs.182.00 Crores including export of 1308 MTs valued at Rs.20.00Crore, he claimed.
Giving details the President said, in order to safeguard the member growers’ crops such as Arecanut, Cocoa, Rubber and Pepper, Campco distributed I.S.I quality banded copper sulphate to the tune of 102MTs through its branches and agent societies to the farmers at a reasonable rate.
In the last financial year Campco purchased 206.45MTs of pepper valuing Rs.9.25 crore and sales is 37 MTs valued at Rs.1.70 Crore.
Campco also entered into an MoU with ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research (ICAR-IISR), Calicut, an Institute under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) New Delhi, Chandra shared.
”Campco President also patted himself on the back for being instrumental in ensuring Minimum Import Price of Pepper as Rs.500/. Not only that, it was due to our efforts that the import has now been curtailed to a large extent which helped in the stabilization of domestic market thereby protecting the interest of the pepper farmers”, he claimed.
Recounting the other good things done by the Chocolate Co-operative Satishchandra said to promote inter-crops in Arecanut gardens, CAMPCO has arranged to distribute 47,990 cocoa seedlings and 10,900 pepper saplings to the members at a subsidized rate.
”Two exclusive CAMPCO Chocolate Kiosks have been opened at Puttur while another CAMPCO Chocolate Kiosk at Bengaluru has just commenced. We are planning to open a Kiosk at Mangaluru also, ”he added.
Talking about members’ welfare President said that CAMPCO has extended financial aid towards the medical treatment of members. About 17 beneficiaries have availed this facility of which 11 members have been aided for open heart surgery, he recounted.
It bears recall that for the fourth consecutive year, CAMPCO has been the recipient of the prestigious Award from the Federation of Indian Export Organizations-Southern Region, Ministry of Commerce, Govt. of India under the category of Top Multi Product Group Exporter in the Southern Region (Silver).
Another plus for CAMPCO is that it is committed to Swadeshi based products is now supplying CAMPCO Pure Milk Chocolates “Dairy Dream” to the Navy.
The quantity of Cocoa Wet Beans procured is 3775.82MTs valued at Rs.17.52 Crores and Dry Beans purchased is 2190.13MTs valued at Rs.38.23 Crore. Rubber Purchases are to the tune of 3898.30MTs valued at Rs.48.87 Crore and Sales is 3912.35MTs valued at Rs.49.86 Crores.
CAMPCO in collaboration with CPCRI is conducting Research in Value Addition for its products. CAMPCO is also venturing out into coconut and has contacted the pioneers of the field to commence a “Coconut Processing Project”.
The Draft Specifications for Arecanut submitted by CAMPCO and other like-minded Cooperative Societies have been approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards, said Chandra proudly.
Besides the President, those present on the occasion included Shankarnarayan Bhat Khandige Vice-president, M.Suresh Bhandary, MD and Mrs Reshma Mallya DGM, among others.
