Mangaluru: To ease access for farmer members and address congestion-related operational hurdles, Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative Limited (CAMPCO) Ltd will lay the foundation stone for its new Vittal branch premises near Sri Panchalingeshwara Temple in Vittal, Bantwal, Friday.The Vittal branch has been serving members for several decades from its existing premises built in 1986 on 76 cents of land, with a total plinth area of 19,188 square feet. Over the years, a narrow approach road and congestion in the area have led to operational difficulties and inconvenience for farmers visiting the branch.To facilitate smoother procurement and handling of arecanut, cocoa, pepper and other produce, CAMPCO acquired 91 cents of land within Vittal city limits in 2024. The cooperative proposes to construct a new office-cum-godown building with an approximate built-up area of 30,000 square feet at an estimated cost of Rs 12 crore. The civil construction contract has been awarded to Gaanvi Infra Projects, Vittal, and the project is expected to be completed within 18 months from the commencement of work.Dr K Prabhakar Bhat, president of Vivekananda Vidyavardhaka Sangha, Puttur, will lay the foundation stone. Dakshina Kannada MP Capt Brijesh Chowta and Puttur MLA Ashok Kumar Rai will attend as chief guests. The programme will be presided over by SR Sathishchandra, president, CAMPCO, a release said.
