The cashew processing units in Orissa have urged the state government to take enabling measures to facilitate the export of processed cashew from the state.
Though Orissa is the third largest cashew producing state in India after Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, it is not able to export the commodity to other countries due to poor quality of processing and packaging, felt the cashew processors.
If the Orissa government creates an enabling environment for export, it will not only benefit the cashew processors, but also the state government, said Rajendra Sabat, president, Orissa Cashew Processors Association.
Sabat was re-elected as the president of the association at its general body meeting held here on Sunday.
“Despite the economic recession, the cashew exports from the country stood at Rs 2,507 crore by the end of January 2009. The major buyers of Indian cashew are countries like USA, UK, Netherlands and Japan. Most of the cashew in India was exported from Kerala and Tamil Nadu”, he added.
In Orissa, there are 240 cashew processing units, producing around 80,000 metric tonnes of cashew per annum. Most of these units are located in the districts of South Orissa including 80 units in Ganjam, 58 in Gajapati and 48 in Koraput.
However, the cashew processing units in Orissa remain idle for about three to four months in a year due to shortage of raw materials.
Even though the area under cashew cultivation is adequate to cater to the needs of the processing units, the yield is hit by poor management of the plants, said Sabat. The yield of cashew in Orissa stood at550 kg per hectare as against the national average of 650-700 kg per hectare.
About 1.60 lakh hectares were earmarked for cashew cultivation in Orissa. The cashew plantations are owned by the Cashew Development Corporation and the departments of forests and soil conservation.
The association has urged the state government to make the boiling process of cashew mandatory for processing instead of the roasting process. “The boiling process is cost effective and also non-polluting. States like Andhra Pradesh have made the boiling process mandatory for cashew processing”, he added.
The association has also sought the easing of rules and procedures for the cashew processing units. “A processing unit has to obtain a number of certificates for its operations. If the processes are simplified, more number of processing units will come up in the state”, said Sabat.
