Cashew is cultivated in a large scale in this district, next only to Ariyalur and Cuddalore, said Collector S. Ganesh here on Tuesday. Inaugurating a district-level seminar on cashew cultivation, organised by National Pulses Research Centre, and Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development, Kochi, at Vamban Agriculture Science Centre in Alankudi taluk, he said the yield was 801 kg per hectare in Cuddalore district while it was 314 kg per hectare in Pudukottai district.The average yield in Tamil Nadu is 500 kg while the maximum yield of 1,185 kg is recorded in Maharashtra. High yielding varieties of V.R.I.2 and 3 and V.R.I.4 give a yield of 2,000 to 3,000 kg. Cashew is cultivated in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.Certificates and prizes were distributed to S. Manonmani of Vadakadu for black gram cultivation and M. Thirupathi of Panankulam for brinjal cultivation.K. M. Shajahan, Joint Director of Agriculture, Sampath Kumar and Arunachalam, Assistant Directors of Horticulture, participated in the seminar.