Absence of SOP issued by Assam Government makes supari traders suffer

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: In the absence of an SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) issued by the State Government, people involved in the supari (betel nut) trade in the state have to bear the brunt.

In December 2021, the State Government announced that it would issue an SOP to detect the Burmese supari entering Assam illegally. And the government then stopped the transportation of all suparis.

The government's stand was that "since the police cannot distinguish the Burmese suparis from the local ones, the government decided to find a mechanism to identify identical suparis of various sources. The government also announced that it would prepare an SOP to distinguish Burmese suparis from the local ones."

In Assam, mostly the suparis from the Barak Valley go outside the state. The supari traders and farmers are incurring losses since the government halted the transportation of suparis from the state for about six months.

According to sources, a section of traders transports suparis illegally even now. However, most of the traders are following the government's stricture. They are waiting for the SOP.

According to official sources, drafting and other works for the SOP were going on at the initial stage. Even two ministers toured the Barak Valley districts and held talks with various stakeholders. "However, the SOP is yet to get the final shape for various reasons," an official source said. The source also admitted that the lack of any SOP makes supari traders and farmers suffer.

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