Heavy fall in cashew production in Goa due to various reasons

28-Aug-2024 04:10 PM

Panaji. Heavy fall in cashew production in Goa due to various reasons is affecting the activity of processing industry.

According to experts, on one hand area is shrinking due to increasing urbanization and on the other hand, the younger generation is showing less interest in its cultivation. Apart from this, last year there was also the wrath of El Nino weather cycle.

Due to decrease in cashew production in Goa, Feni (liquor made from cashew apple) manufacturers are being forced to procure raw material from other states.

It is worth mentioning that Goa produces good quality cashew which has better taste and size. Due to decrease in production of raw cashew, many processing units have either closed down or are on the verge of closure.

In the last few years, the number of cashew processing units operating in the state has come down from 45 to 17.

According to industry analysts, the youth are looking for jobs instead of focusing on cashew cultivation.

This time when the flowering process started in the crop, it was damaged by unseasonal rains. Although the government agency has estimated the average annual production of cashew in the state to be around 28 thousand tons,

but the actual production is about 50 percent less than this. Most of the cashew trees have become old and produce less pods.

Not much attention is being paid to planting new plantations. Apart from this, the cost of cashew production has also increased considerably.

APEDA has planned to give 40 percent subsidy on the purchase of machinery to the cashew processing industry. Now cashews are imported to Goa from the neighboring state of Maharashtra.