WHO-IARC twisted data -CAMPCO chief

Mangaluru: The Central Arecanut & Cocoa Marketing & Processing Cooperative Ltd. (CAMPCO) has called upon Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda to address alleged data manipulation by the World Health Organization (WHO) and its affiliate, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

According to CAMPCO, the WHO and IARC misrepresented research findings, unfairly classifying arecanut as carcinogenic. The cooperative contends that studies primarily focused on tobacco were distorted, with manipulated sample sizes and misleading conclusions that unjustly implicated arecanut.

This alleged misrepresentation has had far-reaching consequences, threatening the livelihoods of millions of arecanut farmers. CAMPCO President Mr. Kodgi emphasized, “Arecanut is a lifeline for lakhs of farmers. Misguided classifications harm livelihoods and disregard scientific evidence.”

The cooperative has sought government-backed research through premier institutions like AIIMS, New Delhi, and IISc, Bengaluru, to challenge the claims and protect farmer interests. CAMPCO remains hopeful that the government’s intervention will rectify the situation and safeguard the agricultural community.