<p></p><p>Cashew is produced in 17 districts now and its production area has increased to 17,000 hectares in 2012-13 as compared to 3,000 hectares in 2010 when the crop is cultivated in three districts. There are processing units for the cash crop which have helped farmers earn more."The topography of the state is suitable for cashew production. But earlier, farmers used to have problems due to lack of proper guidance. Once they were trained under the State Horticulture Mission, production improved and with installation of three cashew nut processing units, farmers who used to earn Rs 15 per kg are now earning around Rs 75-85," said Prabhakar Singh, director of state horticulture.</p> <p> </p><br><p></p>