Wed May 28 03:57:05 UTC 2025: **NEWS ARTICLE:**

**U.S. Import Restrictions Threaten India’s Booming Areca Dinnerware Industry**

**Bengaluru, May 28, 2025** – Over 100 scientists, medical experts, and academicians from Karnataka are urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene after the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imposed import restrictions on biodegradable dinnerware made from areca palm leaf sheaths. The restrictions, announced on May 8, are based on concerns about naturally occurring alkaloids potentially migrating into food, a claim Indian experts are disputing as ambiguous and unsubstantiated.

Karnataka is the leading manufacturer of areca palm leaf tableware and dinnerware in India, contributing significantly to the country’s estimated ₹2,500 crore share of the global market. The global market is currently valued at ₹3,500 crore and projected to double by 2030.

“In recent years, around 1,000 metric tonnes of areca leaf dinnerware have been exported from New Mangalore Port of Karnataka, primarily to the US, as well as to Germany, the UK, Australia, Netherlands, and Canada. Currently, over 600 enthusiastic entrepreneurs and startups, along with thousands of skilled workers in Karnataka alone, are actively engaged in this eco-friendly sector,” they said.

The experts, in a letter to the Prime Minister, allege that the FDA’s action reflects “a troubling pattern of Western scientific and regulatory dominance” and threatens a culturally significant, eco-friendly industry. They fear the restrictions will negatively impact thousands of Indian entrepreneurs and farmers.

The letter appeals to the Prime Minister to take urgent diplomatic and regulatory steps to counter these claims and seek the removal of the U.S. restrictions. They also suggest urging U.S. authorities to define acceptable alkaloid thresholds and provide technical and research support to Indian manufacturers to meet any agreed standards. Additionally, they request a thorough scientific review and fresh research on the safety of areca nut consumption and the applications of its by-products, conducted by premier Indian institutions.

Signatories to the letter include prominent figures such as agri economist T. N. Prakash Kammaradi, Dr. G. K. Venkatesh of the Institute of Nephro Urology, Bengaluru, Dr. Prasad Konkalmatt of AAVion LLC, Maryland, USA, and Dr. K. Narayana Gowda, former vice-chancellor of University of Agricultural Sciences-Bengaluru. They argue that a science-driven approach will address the challenges and strengthen India’s leadership in sustainable, tradition-rooted enterprises, in line with the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission.

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