Mangalore: Varanasi Subbraya Bhat (87) - Chief Promoter of CAMPCO, No More!

Mangalore: Varanasi Subraya Bhat (87), the chief promoter of and the brain behind the founding of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative, a joint venture between the states of Karnataka and Kerala, passed away following prolonged illness at his residence at Adyanadka in Bantwal taluk on Friday, December 27.

The organization was originally founded as the Central Arecanut Marketing and Processing Cooperative. When there was a glut of arecanut in the market around the 1970s, which caused a collapse in the market, it was Bhat who took the initiative and convinced the growers of Karnataka and Kerala to float a cooperative of their own. It was largely to beat the breakneck competitions among the growers, reduce underpricing and secure rightful returns and also to overcome the menace of middlemen.
His efforts and enterprise, along with those of like-minded growers, bore fruits when CAMPCO took birth on July 11, 1973 and sank its roots as a massive multistate cooperative. 

The area of activity in Cocoa processing and marketing of Cocoa was added much later when the its cultivation caught up with the growers of the western coasts of Karnataka and Kerala. The success story led to the setting up of its own chocolate factory - claimed to be the largest in Asia - at Mukrampady in Puttur.
After ensuring its foundation on a firm ground, Bhat retreated to the background decades later.
He is survived by two sons and two daughters. 

IMAGE via:  Mangaloretoday
CONTENT SOURCE: http://www.mangalorean.com/news.php?newstype=broadcast&broadcastid=447990