| This was made possible by the lenient view adopted by the board in the face of protests from the workers involved in the processing of cashew nuts. The APPCB set November 1, 2006 as the deadline for closure of the units. |
| The processing operators took maximum advantage of the relaxation given by the board and processed their entire stocks of cashew. They even purchased fresh stocks in December and January and completed the processing. |
| Thus the Palasa cashew industry processed about 64,000 bags (each bag contains 80 kg) of additional cashew during the current season compared to 2005-06, former president of Palasa Cashew Manufacturers Association Malla Nooka Raju told Business Standard. |
| During the current season, the industry processed about 3.84 lakh bags of cashew as against 3.2 lakh bags during 2005-06, thus registering an approximate growth of 20 per cent. |
| With a view to checking emission levels caused by the Palasa cashew industry, the PCB has advised the operators to change the processing system from the existing roasting method to steam-boiling method. |
| However, most of the operators resent the move on the ground that the switch-over would cost them dearly. |
| Though the board set a deadline, it adopted a soft approach on the issue. |
| The PCB's kid glove approach spurred the operators to go into fresh purchases from November 2006 onwards. |
| With the demand peaking in November, 2006, the price of nuts too rose by 25-30 percent in the local market. |
| "Initially we paid Rs 2600-2800 per bag of nuts to farmers. About 60-70 per cent of the stocks were cleared at this rate. |
| "But in November, there was a sudden spurt in the price and a bag cost Rs 3300-3500," Raju stated. |
| With cashew kernel prices too going up by Rs 15-20 for each kg from December, the operators also got good margins this season, despite rise in nut prices in November, he added. |
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