The Kudumbasree Mission, Kerala’s most lauded and successful poverty eradication project, will launch yet another novel experiment to help the financially weaker sections in the Kasaragod district of the state.
The mission has charted out a unique initiative, christened Saphalam Cashew Project. The initiative aims to involve the local population in the industry’s growth. The state government is expected to give the go-ahead to the project in a few days.
MK Rajasekharan, district mission coordinator, Kudumbasree, Kasaragod, said as many as 20 select panchayats in the district will initially be part of the project. Cashew apples and nuts will be procured directly, without separating the nuts and the apples, from farmers through the procurement centres and would be subject to processing. The Kudumbasree farmers would form 1,000 units, comprising 10 persons per unit and would give shape to different groups. It is expected that at least 16,000 tonnes of cashew nuts and 50,000 tonnes of cashew apple can be procured and processed in a year, he said.
The project aims to make soft drinks out of cashew-apple juice, cashew-based cattlefeed and value-added products of cashew nut. Scouting for markets in the domestic and international scene would follow. Initially, the project will involve processing of cashew apples into various products. During the first year, cashew nuts would be sold directly. The project, a joint effort by Kudumbasree and the Kasaragod district panchayat, would involve an investment of Rs 140 crore in three stages. “Envisaged as a continuing initiative, the project will be funded by Kudumbasree Mission, the panchayat, beneficiary contributions and Nabard-assisted bank loans,” Rajasekharan added.
Cashew nut and cashew apple collection and storage centres are envisaged to be set up in various panchayats in the districts. Besides, processing units would be set up where Kudumbasree activity groups, local youth and farmers would come together and make market-ready products out of the raw material procured. The mission is also in the process of initiating marketing tie-ups so that the Kudumbasree-branded cashew-based products would reach markets in other parts of the country and even overseas, he said.
The procurement, storage and processing centres are expected to ensure direct and regular employment to 4,440 people, while around 10,000 would get seasonal employment, he pointed out. It has also been estimated that a total of 18,90,000 labour days would be created when the project goes on stream. Moreover, the cashew processing jobs, which don’t call for highly-educated professionals, are expected to help the weakest among the financially weak to ensure that they too are able to earn a decent livelihood.
