<p></p><p>PANAJI: With just over a week left for the late flowering cashew season to end, cashew farmers are expecting a better crop than last year, though it is likely to be 15% to 20% less than average. <br></p> <p>Goan cashew nuts are preferred for their flavor, as farmers do not mostly harvest them from trees, but only collect the produce after it ripens and falls to the ground."The production is likely to be in the range of 17,000 to 20,000 tonnes," Madhav Sahakari, president of Goa cashew processors association said.The cashew production was about 30% less than average in the 2014 season.Heavy rains on March 1, 2015 affected the first flower and led to a delay.The state produces about 22,000 to 24,000 tones of cashew nuts, but mining activities and development of orchard land for the booming construction industry has reduced the land under cashew plantations.<br></p><p></p>