The Hindu Business Line : Cashew Council office to be shifted to Kollam from Kochi

Kochi, Oct. 25 The Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPC), which has been functioning here for the past five decades, will now be shifted to the cashew town of the country, Kollam, next January.

A decision on this would be taken at the AGM of the Council on Oct 30. However, a majority of its 15 employees are unhappy with the move.

The new premises to be known as Cashew Bhavan constructed at a cost of Rs 6 crore is in the finishing stages, Mr Sasi Varma, Secretary, CEPC, said. The Union Commerce Ministry had provided Rs 5.26 crore for constructing the building.

On completion of the Bhavan, the CEPC’s research laboratory, which is currently functioning in a rented building at Kollam, would be shifted to the new five-storey building. Thus, all the facilities would come under one roof, Mr Varma said.

The shifting of the headquarters would bring down the administrative expenses apart from being more convenient to the members, processors and exporters of cashew, who are located in and around Kollam where the industry has been concentrated for about a century, he said. In fact, about 3.5 lakh workers, mostly women, out of the total five lakh, are employed by the industry in the Kollam district alone, he said.

Besides, he said, it is cheaper to run the organisation in Kollam rather than in Kochi. Apart from this, since majority of the members are based in and around Kollam, there could be better coordination and communication, he said.

Though the CEPC is a nodal agency of the government for implementing its schemes under Market Development Assistance, market access initiatives etc for promoting cashew exports, the administrative expenses are borne by its member-exporters.

They contribute Rs 5,000 a year towards administrative expenses and Rs 1.50 per each carton of cashew kernels exported subject to a minimum of Rs 7,500 and a maximum of Rs 75,000 every year.

Apart from the members, there are government nominees one each from the Centre and the State Government on the board. Mr Varma said that the council is neither a statutory body nor a government institution and hence the members had decided long back to shift it to Kollam.

He said CEPC would consider developing the land owned by it in the heart of Kochi city on commercial lines so as to enhance the annual revenue of the council.

Meanwhile, the decision has disappointed the employees of the CEPC. They told Business Line that shifting of the offices to Kollam, about 150 km away from Kochi would put them in hardship. “We have been here for decades, settled down with families and school going children and shifting of the office would lead to dislocation,” an official who does not want to be identified said.