Maharashtra Cashew Board plans to expand cashew area and replant in other areas with high density, high yielding varieties. Besides promoting organic cultivation, says director Parashram Patil.
“The proposal is to expand the area and replant (cashew) with high density, high yield varieties on 12,000 hectares in the state at a cost of ₹8 crore over a period of three years. This yields approximately 6,000 tons in the third year and 12,000 tons in the fourth year. The increase in production will reduce dependence on imported raw materials by 25 percent,” he said business line in an online interaction.
Other planned measures include production and distribution of planting materials by promoting model cashew farms, training programs for farmers and extension workers on new technologies and a concentrated approach in socially backward areas to secure the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers with the involvement of farmer producer organizations. FPOs) and other stakeholders, he said.
Emphasis on R&D
The administration would place more emphasis on research and development on good agricultural practices in cashew cultivation, support farmers to get remunerative prices, promote organic cashew production, processing and export, expand into new markets, modernize and mechanize cashew processing industries. board member of the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda).
“A unique Maha(rashtra) brand can be established in India. Diplomatic interaction with African countries can help ensure a steady supply of raw materials,” he said, adding that US cashews could be marketed as cashews of other origins.
Maharashtra, the leading cashew state and accounting for a quarter of the country’s production, has 274 medium and 320 small factories. The government has plans to make the state a major manufacturer, said Patil, who is also a senior adviser on agriculture at the Maharashtra Institute for Transformation.
Depending on import
Despite being the largest producer, the state ranks only seventh in terms of exports and is the largest importer of raw cashew nuts. “Nearly 200,000 farmers are engaged in cashew cultivation in the state, which generates numerous employment opportunities in rural areas,” he said.
Cashew production in Maharashtra has been affected by climate change and diseases. As a result, farmers have difficulty getting profitable prices.
For the manufacturing sectors, dependence on imported raw materials affects the size of the economies. Maharashtra has very few large processing plants, which are more at the cottage level. There has been no technological advancement in these factories and the value addition is less, Patil said.
Other issues affecting processing include its labor-intensive nature and unavailability of skilled labor. The raw cashew nut market is not well organized in the country, due to which farmers are getting a raw deal from agents, the director of the Maharashtra Cashew Board said.
JSW Ratnagiri Gate
He said commercial cultivation should be promoted to increase production and productivity and market information should be improved to cope with changes in the international market.
Cashew processing and export clusters in Kolhapur, Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri districts need to be further developed. Raw cashew nuts should be allowed to be imported at JSW Ratnagiri port, where there are facilities to export cashew nuts. Apeda should aggressively promote cashew exports, he said.
Patil said Apeda is preparing a comprehensive plan for cashew exports and said cashew exporters will be provided comprehensive financial support for infrastructure and quality development, apart from market promotion.
Maharashtra Cashew Board is implementing price differentiation program for cashew nuts and thousands of farmers have been benefited, he said, adding that natural and organic cashew farming has good potential in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Kolhapur districts.
Tapping cashew apple
The cashew board will support organic farming by helping small farmers to a large extent, he said.
On the use of cashew apple, he called for extraction of juice and export to Goa for conversion into alcohol. The second approach will be to make concentrated juices and distribute them in villages to help improve nutrition.
“The cashew apple residue could be of great importance for animal feed and possibly also as baby food for the masses. A cashew apple wine can be made in many ways and this will increase farm income by at least 20 percent,” said Patil.