Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, said that the cultivation of cashew in around 11.25 Lakh ha area having an annual production of 7 Lakh Tonnes. He stated that the area under cashew in the country is the second-largest in the world. S
Virtually inaugurating the “Silver Jubilee Building” of the ICAR-Directorate of Cashew Research, Puttur, Karnataka, he said that India is the second-largest country in the production of raw cashew nuts in the world.
Highlighting the ever-increasing consumption of cashew in the country, he also stressed the need for setting a goal to fill up the gap between its production and consumption. To adopt the ways for strategic planning to enhance the export of cashew instead of its import was also emphasized by Tomar.
Applauding the efforts of the agricultural and farming fraternity that have led the country to be self-dependent and self-reliant in the production of the various avenues of agriculture, Tomar urged for working together to strengthen the country.
“There is a need to enhance the cashew’s production and its productivity by bringing more area under the cashew cultivation”, stressed Tomar. He urged for exploring the possible suitable areas for its expansion.
The release of 26 varieties, the development of Virtual Software and the Mobile App “Kaju India” by the ICAR-DCR, Puttur for apprising the farmers about the latest developed varieties and technologies were underlined by the Union Minister. The large scale employment opportunities generated by the Cashew Processing, which involves around 95% farmers along with the Cashew Processing Units providing employment to about 15 Lakh people was highlighted by Tomar.
The Guest of Honor, Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare accentuated on the need for enhancing the production and cultivation area of Cashew Nuts in line with the vision of the PM.
The Special Guest, Km. Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare emphasized on providing prompt solutions to the Cashew Farmers by finding out the particular problems. “More productive Cashew crops should be developed by carrying out the extensive research in the area of Cashew Nuts Farming”, urged the Minister.
