India: Govt Schemes Sought To Boost Cashew Production.

The Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI) has urged the Union Government to allocate sufficient funds and put forward necessary schemes to increase production of cashew nut in the country. The raw cashew nut requirement of the cashew processing industry in India is estimated at 15 lakh tonnes a year and the availability from internal sources is less than half of this. The balance is met by imports from other producer countries and as such, it is important to make the country self-sufficient in raw cashew nuts, Mr T.K. Shahal H. Musaliar, Chairman, CEPCI, said. As per the estimate of the Directorate of Cashew nut and Cocoa Development, production of raw cashew nuts in India during 2010-11 was 6,53,000 tonnes against 6,13,000 tonnes during 2009-10, reflecting a nominal increase, he said while addressing the 56th annual general meeting of the council. The Directorate of Cashew nut and Cocoa Development under the Ministry of Agriculture is taking some steps in this direction by implementing schemes for production development, he added.

Considering India’s stake in global cashew trade, the Chairman requested the Union Government to participate in the Global Cashew Task Force, as this would in turn help in ensuring the country’s leadership in the world market. The CEPCI in association with INC (International Nut and Dried Fruit Foundation) Spain and other world cashew players such as VINACAS (Vietnam), SINDICAJU (Brazil), ACA (representing 11 African countries) and other minor players has signed an agreement forming a Global Cashew Task Force for the benefit of the world cashew industry. The Global Task Force is expected to focus on three key activities/aspects such as Research on Nutrition and Health Claims, International Food Safety Norms and Promotion of cashews. He also requested the Government to extend finance towards this.

Referring to the export performance of the industry, he pointed out that the foreign exchange earned by the country through exports of cashew kernels, cashew nut shell liquid and allied products during 2010-11 was Rs 2,930 crore. However, the global economic recession continued to affect the cashew kernel exports adversely. There was 1.28 per cent decline in the quantity of cashew kernels exported during 2010-11 compared to that of 2009-10. Referring to export incentives, he requested the Government to continue the VKGUY and DEPB schemes, as otherwise the cashew exporters will find it difficult to survive in the international markets in the face of stiff competition from Vietnam and Brazil.

Source : freshplaza.com