Reflecting its continued financial strength and commitment to grower-members, the board of directors of Campco has recommended a 14 per cent dividend for 2025-26, he said.
Addressing mediapersons in Mangaluru on Thursday, Satishchandra said the performance was supported by sustained procurement and marketing operations, farmer-oriented initiatives, business diversification, digital transformation and investments in infrastructure and value addition.
Arecanut the backbone
Terming arecanut as the backbone of Campco, he said the cooperative procured 58,742.76 tonnes of arecanut valued at ₹2,924.32 crore during 2025-26. This included 24,052.07 tonnes of red arecanut and 34,690.69 tonnes of white arecanut.The cooperative sold 59,088.64 tonnes of arecanut valued at ₹2,985.19 crore, comprising 22,914.53 tonnes of red arecanut and 36,174.11 tonnes of white arecanut.
Through its extensive procurement and marketing network, Campco continued to provide growers a dependable marketing platform, support market stability and facilitate better value realisation, he said.
On imports, he said the increase in the import of arecanut has affected domestic growers and organised marketing institutions. A particular concern is the mixing of imported arecanut with domestic produce and its circulation as domestic produce. Such a practice affects traceability, market transparency and price discovery, besides putting pressure on domestic prices, he said.
Campco has urged the Government to strengthen monitoring of imports, enforce import regulations effectively, prevent misclassification and take appropriate measures to prevent imported arecanut from being mixed with or passed off as domestic produce.
Cocoa stregthening
He said the cooperative continued to strengthen its cocoa and chocolate operations despite volatility in cocoa prices.Campco’s chocolate factory recorded 12,606.40 tonnes of production, while cocoa and chocolate products recorded sales of ₹488.65 crore, including exports.
A new refiner has been installed, and procurement of an additional cocoa butter press is in progress at a total project cost of ₹12 crore.
Campco procured 1,704.77 tonnes of rubber and 1,656.12 tonnes of pepper in 2025-26.
Exports to Maldives
Satishchandra said Campco has become a member of National Cooperative Exports Ltd (NCEL), strengthening its efforts towards expanding international markets. During the year, the cooperative exported 130 tonnes of premium Indian arecanut to Maldives, besides exporting drinking chocolate powder and industrial cocoa products.Green energy
Terming renewable energy a key focus area for Campco, he said the existing wind power units meet around 56.81 per cent of the energy requirement of its chocolate factory.Stating that a 500 KW solar project at its factory in Puttur generated 4.79 lakh units of power during the year, he said the establishment of a 580 KW rooftop solar project is in progress. It is expected to meet an additional 8-9 per cent of the energy requirement.
Conference
Satishchandra said Campco is planning to conduct an International Arecanut Conference in January 2027 in Mangaluru. The conference will bring together international resource persons, researchers, experts, growers and other stakeholders from the arecanut sector.The conference will provide an international platform for deliberations on scientific developments, emerging challenges, technology, value addition and the future of the arecanut sector, with a focus on strengthening the interests of growers and promoting sustainable growth of the sector, he added.
Published on September 10, 2026