Value chain development for improving the income of cashew growers

Abstract

Development of the Cashew Industry needs the immediate attention of the policymakers, processors, and farmers to remain competitive and profitable. There is scope to improve quality and profitability by adopting the improved method of roasting and mechanized shelling of cashew nuts. Agencies engaged in cashew processing, need financial support in the form of liberal loans with a soft rate of interest. Increasing cashew production is another important opportunity, by increasing the crop yield as well as by expanding the area under cashew plantation. About 75 percent of plantations are owned by farmers while the rest are owned by the Government. More than 50 percent of plantations are old plantations, aged between 35 to 50 years, established with seedlings of the nondescript genetic base, spaced widely, and maintained without any recommended crop husbandry practices. These plantations should be closely monitored for their performance and trees yielding less than 4-5 kg of nuts per year, should be replaced with newly grafted plants of good varieties. The spacing between the trees can also be reduced to increase the tree population. Good crop husbandry practices such as improving soil productivity and moisture content and efficient management of nutrients, pests, and diseases should be promoted by Agricultural Extension Agencies to increase the yield of nuts. There is good scope to promote cashew cultivation along the seacoast as a profitable cash crop. Suitable schemes should be developed to enable small farmers and absentee landowners to establish cashew plantations on unproductive lands. To provide timely support to small farmers and to improve their production, the value chain can play a significant role. With efficient backward and forward linkages and an increase in RCN yield, cashew can be more profitable than many other crops, including mango and other plantation crops. This will also help India to restore its leadership in cashew.