<p></p><p>Panaji: Stating that farmers employed in the business of cashew cultivation need nothing but government support, chief secretary R K Srivastava said on Monday that the minimum support price given by the state has reaped positive outcomes in the cultivation of the crop.He was speaking at the inauguration of the two-day national conference on cashews and cocoa, where pan India experts related to the industry, will discuss processes from production to marketing of the crop. <br></p> <p>“We have witnessed the banking sector coming to the rescue of farmers in the country. There are a lot of schemes available now. They are under direct orders from the Reserve Bank of India to initiate farmer-friendly schemes,” Srivastava said, adding that farmers in Goa have been provided with Krishi cards.“The cards have helped in preventing the harassment of farmers as all the details are now with the government. They don’t have to provide documents every time they visit government departments,” he said.Talking about the need to bridge the gap between supply and demand of cashews and cocoa in India, agriculture and horticulture commissioner, S K Malhotra said that the import of these crops is set to become a costly affair in the coming times.“We need to bring in efficient production systems to increase numbers. Last year, India produced around six lakh tonnes of cashews, whereas our requirement is 16 lakh tonnes. The situation is the same with cocoa, where our current demands stand at 30,000 metric tonnes and we are producing 17,200 metric tonnes.”<br></p><p></p>