Kerala plants a seed for better cashew output

Kollam: The Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) kickstarted its initiative to plant over seven lakh cashew saplings on the World Environment Day on Monday to increase the indigenous production of cashew. The project was inaugurated by Minister for Cashew J. Mercykkutty Amma at the corporation’s factory at  Kottiyam. The factory was the first to be started under the corporation on the same day in 1970.As per the project implemented in association with the Cashew Development Agency,  cashew saplings will be planted in over 10,000 acres of land.    

As part of the ‘cashew tree in the courtyard’ programme, 10,000 cashew workers under the corporation will be given a cashew sapling each. Special review meetings will be held to ensure the preservation of the  saplings planted. The social forestry department has also initiated planting of cashew saplings in 200 hectares of land under the Rehabilitation Plantations Limited at Punalur. A ‘Cashew tree park in my school’ project was also launched at Chemmanthur school. Cashew saplings were planted in various areas  in the district, including 10 acres of land under BEBE estate at Punalur, road and canal poramboke land at  Karunagappally, and in 1500 house compounds at  Karunagappally by the taluk library council.

Oil Palm India will plant cashew in about 200 acres while the State Farming Corporation has given 250 acres for the purpose.  As many as seven  lakh saplings will be planted in these areas by  September, including over 50,000 saplings to be distributed among school students in the district.  The cashew farmers will be given a financial aid of Rs 12,000 per hectare of cashew plantation and each sapling will be given Rs 60 for two years.  The country has a total demand of 20 lakh metric tonnes of cashew while only five lakh metric tonnes is currently produced indigenously.