News Excerpt:

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has reported that the risk of oral cancer is higher for individuals who use Areca Nut and Paan as opposed to those who chew tobacco.

About the news: 

• The World Health Organization’s recently released tobacco trends report reveals a continued decline in tobacco use globally. 

• But as the world grows aware of the health risks associated with tobacco, the exponential growth of Areca Nut – known as supari in Hindi – continues unabated.

About the Areca Nut:

• It is the fourth most common psychoactive substance used by over 10% of the world's population. 
• Areca Nut is chewed raw or in processed forms (boiled, roasted, fermented), alone or with tobacco in a pan.
• Flavoured Areca Nut products, like scented supari, pan masala, and gutkha, which are often sold as mouth fresheners, are in heavy demand in many parts of the world, especially South Asia as it is interpreted as a relatively safe alternative to chewing tobacco.
• Despite clear evidence of its adverse health outcomes, global Areca Nut production has grown exponentially in the last 15 years with a 124% increase.
• India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka are the largest Areca Nut markets. In India alone, 223.79 million people (about 24 per cent of the adult population) consume Areca Nut in some form or the other, thus leading the market with a share of over 64 per cent, followed by Bangladesh (14 per cent).

The causes behind a booming Areca Nut economy:

• Technical advancements in cultivation: The emergence of precision farming, advanced equipment, multiple cropping systems and integrated plant health management have led to a significant boost in Areca Nut production. From 1961 to 2016, the area under Arecanut cultivation in India  nearly tripled, while the quantum of production increased five times.

• High demand from pan masala makers and innovation in Areca Nut products: Increasing consumption of pan masala is  driving the market growth between 2022-2027. Retail vendors and small manufacturers of gutkha and flavored silver-coated supari, in a large informal sector, are potential Areca Nut buyers. 

• Prevalence of clean labelling and fair-trade practices: Uniform tax and penal provisions in the Areca Nut sector are bringing an increasing number of buyers into regulated markets. 

• • In the pre-GST era, to avoid taxes, a section of buyers would stay away from organised markets and fulfill their requirements through off-market transactions with growers and agents. 

• • In a way, GST helps streamline the Areca Nut market, bringing more buyers, sellers as well as start-ups into the organised market while reducing off-market transactions.

• Growing prominence on online platforms: With the growing prominence of Areca Nut-containing products on e-commerce platforms etc, demand is expected to go from US $834 million in 2022 to 1,438.2 million in 2032 – at a CAGR of 5.6 per cent.
• Cultural beliefs, social misconceptions, and lack of awareness about carcinogenic potential: Unlike tobacco and alcohol, whose detrimental effects on human health have been extensively recognised, the danger posed by Areca Nut has not gained adequate coverage in the media and scientific community. 
• Areca Nut is still socially acceptable, especially among women from rural India, where smoking is considered offensive.
• Weak Enforcement of Regulatory Policies: India is the largest consumer and producer of Areca Nut in the world. The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act 2003 regulates tobacco products while the Food Safety and Standards Regulation 2011 prohibits the manufacturing and selling of products containing Areca Nut and tobacco. However, there is no regulatory framework for Areca Nut products that do not contain tobacco. 

How can it be controlled?

• Regulations like the new GST regime, where Areca Nut attracted 5% GST as against 2% VAT earlier, have made them minimally expensive. This has restrained the Areca Nut market to an extent. 
• Strategic measures, like higher taxes on Areca Nut products, cutting tax benefits or exemptions under the tax regime, increasing minimum import price, and increasing awareness among people regarding adverse health effects, can help cull the sale and production of these products.
• But it is also true that most governments and politicians are reluctant to check the industry’s growth due to its economic contributions or to appease an electorate that comprises Areca Nut farmers largely.

Way Forward:

Culling the sale and production of these products will be an uphill task for all societies. There is also an urgent need to generate public awareness about the carcinogenicity of Areca Nut and sensitize policymakers and regulatory bodies to initiate campaigns against Areca Nut use and addiction.