BAIF project helps farmers reap rich crop

Come summer, around 23,000 small farmers of Valsad and Dang districts are seen busy reaping the rich crop of cashew. It may sound odd but the south Gujarat region has made a name in cashew production since year 2000.

Farmers have not only developed expertise in this new crop but have also been witnessing a substantial increase in the production for the past three years. In the current year, the region has produced 400 tonne of cashew.

Many cashew processing units have come up in Valsad. Private players too have also shown interest in setting up such units in Valsad and Dang.

Currently, the produce is being marketed in Gujarat and other states like Maharashtra, however, co-operatives and the non-governmental organisation BAIF are positive that soon farmers would be in a position to export the produce.

The story began way back in 1982, with the BAIF Development and Research Foundation (earlier known as Bhartiya Agro Industries Foundation) starting a project for upliftment of tribal farmers in Vansada taluka of Navsari district.

Talking to Business Standard, VC Badve, chief programme co-ordinator, BAIF south Gujarat operations, said, "BAIF started the project in 1982 in Vansada village of Navasari district. The small tribal farmers were introduced to cashew crop after BAIF carried out research on the viability of the crop as cashew is not a traditional crop in Gujarat. Slowly farmers of Dharampur and Kaparada blocks also joined. The actual production of cashew began from 2000. Ever since cashew has become a steady crop in the region."

Giving details of the acreage and yield in the region, Jayanti Mori, additional chief programme co-ordinator of BAIF, said, "Dharampur and Kaparada has the most cashew plantations. Cashew plantation is being carried out on 7,500 acres in Dharampur, Kaparada and Dang. Ninety per cent of this plantation is in Dharampur-Kaparada blocks and the cultivation area in Dang is slowly increasing. The production of cashew has been growing since 2000 but the last three years have seen major increase. The region produced 210 tonnes of cashew in summer of 2004, 285 tonnes in 2005 and almost 400 tonnes in 2006."

He added that various local co-operative societies have set up a total of 11 cashew processing units in the region. Various co-operatives like Sutrapada co-operative, Karjun co-operative, Mandava, Suterkhed and Pindwad co-operative are active under the aegis of horticulture co-operative society of the state.

The produce is currently sold in the domestic market and in the neighbouring states like Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. However, Mori added that seeing the increase in the production, farmers and the co-operatives were positive that they would be able to start export in a couple of years.

Dang is a new area in cashew plantation but the crop is catching up fast among the farmers.

"We are shortly launching the phase two of the project. In the second phase, we will try and grow the plantation area of Dang to 2000 acres from the current 300 acres."

Agreeing to the fact that cashew is fast emerging as a viable crop in south Gujarat, SR Chaudhari, director of horticulture, said, "Cashew is not a traditional crop in Gujarat, but the initiatives taken by the NGO and through the active government support the farmers have made this a profitable crop. Cashew plantations in south Gujarat has seen incredible increase in the last three years."