Cashew Cultivation: An Essential Prerequisite for Growth of the Cashew Industry in Kerala

Abstract

Cashew, the tree bearing the wonder nut came to India from Brazil via the Portugese in the 16^th century. The crop established well in the coastal regions of Peninsular India. India pioneered processing of the raw cashew nuts into value added products which soon captured a niche place in the world market for nuts. Kerala stood first in the processing industry till the recent past, however, shortage of raw nuts is presently posing threat to the survival of the industry which employs nearly 3 lakh workers of which 95 per cent are women. Several socio economic reasons have caused a drastic decline in the area under cashew cultivation in the State, which are analyzed in the paper. Measures to bring more area under cultivation as well as to enhance the productivity and production of the crop are also discussed.