A Multi-institutional meeting on ‘Arecanut and Human Health’ was jointly organized by ICAR-Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (ICAR-CPCRI), Kasaragod and Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development (DASD), Kozhikode at ICAR-CPCRI, Kasaragod on 14.11.2023. The purpose of the event was to formulate research questions aimed at scientific establishment of the role of arecanut on human health, involving researchers from reputed national organizations, including human medicine and plant metabolites, like AIIMS, CSIR-CCMB, CSIR-CIMAP, CSIR-CFTRI, CSIR-NBRI, IISc, KMC, NITTE University, and SDM University, among others.

Dr. Prabhat Kumar, Horticulture Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, New Delhi, emphasized impartiality in assessing the impact of arecanut on human health during his presidential address. He also pointed out inconsistencies in scientific literature related to arecanut and human health, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive research proposal to bring out the facts about arecanut and its effects on human health.

In his welcome address, Dr. K. Balachandra Hebbar, Director ICAR-CPCRI, highlighted the importance of arecanut and research progress in the sector, emphasizing its significance in the livelihood of the farming community in the Indian context. Dr. Homey Cheriyan, Director, DASD, provided insights into the economic scenario of arecanut and its products in the country. Prof. Satyamoorthy from SDM University, Dharwad, moderated discussions under various scientific sessions, namely, clinical epidemiology and public health, metabolites and metabolomics, neurosciences, and cellular and molecular sciences. The meeting concluded with the formulation of researchable questions aimed at investigating the effect of arecanut on human health and other modalities, with plans to prepare and submit a research proposal in a multi-institutional network and collaborative mode.