Research in cashew and taking the findings to the farmers through effective extension services, monitoring of implementation of various schemes are important aspects that need to be brought under one umbrella.

Production of raw cashew nuts in the country needs to be increased to reduce our dependence on imported nuts, as some of the producing countries have already started processing, he pointed out.

For several years, the demand for the Board has been in hibernation and it was revived recently after a long time. It should become a reality in the interest of the cashew farmers, industry and the workers, he said.

To make the Indian cashew competitive in the world market “we have to bring in more areas with high yielding disease-resistant varieties, especially in the vast stretches of waste lands currently lying idle”. This, apart from commercially utilising the waste lands, would create a green belt in many States, especially in the coastal regions and thus, would result in eco-restoration.

Rural employment generation, providing cheap fuel – fire wood for the rural poor, production of cashew-based diverse products such as cashew apple juice, jam, pickle and above all using it for manufacturing ethanol as bio-fuel, would create more demand for the hitherto wasted apple and thus enhance the income of the growers, he said.

Proper co-ordination between different ministries and departments in the Central and State governments is essential for implementing various schemes drawn up for achieving the desired results. The past experiences have so far proved that in the absence of an integrated body to co-ordinate, implement and monitor properly, the cashew sector has not achieved any significant progress even after several decades of efforts by the Centre. Therefore, several departments related Standing Parliamentary Committees and IIFT had recommended creation of the Board during the past over four decades.

The processing capacity of the Indian cashew industry, at present, is 1.2 million tonnes of raw nuts and almost 50 per cent of it is imported mainly from Africa. Vietnam was a major source for raw nuts but with the setting up of processing units there not only supply has been stopped but it has become a major competitor of India in the world market.