The Hindu Business Line : Kerala sets up agency to hike cashew output

In view of the continuous decline in area under cashew cultivation in the State and the consequent fall in output, the Kerala Government has set up the Agency for the Expansion of Cashew Cultivation.

Cashew was mainly grown in the mid and highlands of Kerala for several decades. But the advent of rubber as a lucrative plantation crop, the growers have switched over to it in recent decades.

This has pushed down the area under cashew to 80,000 hectares in 2006 from about two lakh hectares three decades ago, pushing Kerala to the fourth position in cashew output at the national level.

According to Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development (DCCD) here, cashew production in Kerala dropped to 67,000 tonnes from 80,000 hectares in 2006.

In recent years, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa have overtaken Kerala in area under this crop.

Fall in production

Maharashtra topped in production with 1.83 lakh tonnes, following by Andhra Pradesh 92,000 tonnes and Orissa 78,000 tonnes, pushing Kerala to the fourth position in output and sixth in terms of area. The total area under cashew in India in 2006 was 8.37 lakh hectares with a production of 5.73 lakh tonne.

The cashew industry is concentrated in Kerala with around 800 registered processing units, employing around three lakh workers, of which 95 per cent are women. At present, only around 50 per cent of the raw nut requirement of the industry in the country, estimated at over 12 lakh tonnes is produced indigenously.

To reduce the dependence on imported raw material, price of which is also on the rise in recent years, and to create more rural employment, apart from using it as an eco-restoration crop, the new agency will implement various schemes to bring more areas under cashew with improved farm management practices, Mr Mohan Das, Chairman, KSACC, told Business Line.

“The easiest way to overcome the declining trend is to bring more area under cashew by encouraging farmers to take up cashew cultivation in their homesteads, barren and waste lands under the procession of Government and public sector undertaking, schools, offices etc,” he said. Implementation of the cashew expansion programme will be taken up by the KSACC with its headquarters in Kollam.

Govt initiative

The Cashew Industry Department in the State Government has decided to encourage farmers to cultivate cashew on a large scale by providing high-yielding variety planting materials and financial assistance for planting and maintenance up to three years.

The government has set apart Rs 50 lakh, Rs 100 lakh and Rs 300 lakh respectively in the plan fund of the State Budget for 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 respectively for promotion of cashew cultivation in the State.

The agency will implement the schemes in association with the Agriculture and Forest Departments along with the Co-operation of the Local Self Government, Mr Mohan Das said. During 2008-09, had provided financial and technical support to farmers of Kannur, Kollam and Alappuzha for planting 25,000 cashew grafted plants and got 100 ha area planted in State Farming Corporation of Kerala, SFCK Ltd and Rehabilitation Plantation Limited (RPL), Punalur.

The agency submitted a mega project to the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) for sustainable cashew nut production in the State by planting in 10,000 ha, rejuvenation of plants in 20,000 ha and has also integrated components such as irrigation, vermi-composting, promoting bee keeping to assist pollination etc. The project outlay was Rs 140.1 crore out of which financial assistance sought was Rs 80.08 crore, Mr Mohan Das said.

The NHM, he said, has approved the proposal with financial outlay of Rs 95.65 crore of which NHM assistance will be Rs57.83 lakhs. The project will be implemented in a period of four years from 2008-2009.

As per the norms fixed by NHM, KSACC will be the nodal agency for implementation of the project in the state. The Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development, Kerala Agriculture University, Department of Agriculture, Local Self Government Bodies and Forest Department will be participating agencies.

The NHM assistance for 2008-09 is Rs27.29 crore in addition to the 3 crore provided in the Plan fund of the State Government and the agency will take up cashew developmental activities entailing an expenditure of Rs30 crore during the current year, he said. Only high yielding varieties of Cashew Grafts developed by the Research Wing of the KAU is recommended by the Agency as planting material. High yielding varieties of Cashew graft will be procured from Cashew Research Stations of KAU, approved Cashew nurseries of PCK, SFCK, KSCDC, Aralam Farm etc.

Dr Abdul Salam, Head of Department of Agronomy, KAU, and an expert in the field of Cashew Cultivation has been inducted as member of the Agency and he has been associating with the agency for the implementation of the project.

The agency has drawn up detailed programme for implementation of the schemes. The scheme will be implemented in all the districts. The activities in seven districts will be organised by Regional Co-ordinator.

The services of two senior officers (retired) will be utilised to work as co-ordinators, one each for the northern and southern districts.