<p>The cashew industry at Palasa in Andhra Pradesh has suffered a production loss of ` 25 crore over the last two weeks due to the recent Phailin cyclone and massive power cuts owing to the Seemandhra agitation.</p> <p>“The industry lost around nine working days due to the power cuts and the Phailin cyclone. Effectively, we have lost more than ` 25 crore worth of production over the last two weeks,” Malla Srinivasa Rao, president, Palasa Cashew Manufacturers Association, told Business Standard.</p> <p>Located in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, the Pasala and Kasibugga areas have about 200 cashew processing units, which process around ` 4 crore worth of cashew kernels per day.</p> <p>Daily wage earners badly hit</p> <p>During the period, around 10,000 daily workers at these units, most of them women (up to 95 per cent), have lost wages to the tune of ` 2 crore. The cyclone has damaged 10,000 acre of cashew-growing area, which is expected to result in lower production in the next one year.</p> <p>“The industry is now importing cashew nuts priced at ` 90 per kg as against ` 60 per kg in April, as the domestic supplies have completely dried up. In April, cashew nuts were available at ` 75 per kg,” Srinivasa Rao said.</p>