The Hindu Business Line : Raw cashewnut output may decline by 30 pc

RAW cashewnut production in the country is likely to decline by 30 per cent in 2005-06 due to prolonged and widespread rains in the western coast, which has adversely affected the crop.

Mr P.P. Balasubramanian, Director, Cashew and Cocoa Development, under the Union Ministry of Agriculture, said due to incessant rains, flowering had not taken place in most of the plantations in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.

"By the time flowering takes place, the atmospheric temperature would be high and that would dry the flowers up," he said.

Around 60 per cent of the plantations are in this region, producing around three lakh tonnes of raw nuts, and hence it could bring down the total raw nut production in the coming season by around 30 per cent, said Mr Balasubramanian.

In 2004-05, the country produced an estimated 5.5 lakh tonnes of raw cashewnuts from a total area of 8.2 lakh hectares. There has been an area expansion under the crop in all cashew-growing States except Kerala. Of the total area, 20 per cent is of new plantations, which are yet to reach the yielding stage, while one-third of the plantations is senile and requiring re-plantation.

The yielding area is, in fact, one-third, and of this one-third is of graft plantations. In effect, real production comes from 4.5 lakh hectares, he said. Production from the senile plantations ranges between 50,000 tonnes and one lakh tonnes. Senile trees are grown in all States except Maharashtra, which had taken up cashew cultivation late.

Mr Balasubramanian said all the seedlings plantations in an area of one lakh hectare owned by the State Government corporations were senile and needed to be replanted with high-yielding varieties. In the private sector, the farmers did not show any interest in replanting, despite the raw nut price ruling at Rs 40 a kg, he said.

Mr Balasubramanian said the directorate's role had been limited to monitoring.

The cashew industry in the country requires over 10 lakh tonnes of raw nuts; of this 60 per cent is imported mainly from Africa. In the absence of processing units in these countries, the entire quantity of raw nuts is exported. The cashew kernel recovery from six lakh tonnes of imported raw nuts will come to around 1.25 lakh tonnes, while Indian exports of kernels is estimated to be 80 per cent of it.

During April-September 2005-06, the total exports of cashew kernels stood at 59,627 tonnes valued at Rs 1,343.27 crore, against 61,724 tonnes valued at Rs 1,240.47 crore in the corresponding period last fiscal.

Imports of raw nuts stood at 3,43,844 tonnes, valued at Rs 1,355.51 crore, against 3,60,788 tonnes worth Rs 1,208.22 crore in the first half of the last fiscal. The unit value of raw nuts increased to Rs 39.42 a kg from Rs 33.49.

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