The attempt by Brijith Krishna of Kannur to commercialize cashew in a new avatar -- sprouted cashew --as a survival strategy amid the Covid-19 lockdown is making waves. In the past four months, Brijith has secured a turnover of Rs 1 lakh by turning unsold cashew nuts into sprouts (germinated cashew nut cotyledons) in his remote village near Iritty. Brijith (42), who had lost his job following the pandemic and left with three quintals of unsold cashew grown in his homestead, has now procured one tonne of cashew following high demand. He has been flooded with orders and enquiries, including from a couple of leading super markets and an international fast-food chain. Though people had traditionally used the sprouts of mazhayandi (the fallen cashew nuts which get sprouted in the rain), it is the first attempt in the state to commercialize cashew sprouts. The sprouts are used for making dishes ranging from curries to salads, snacks and milk shakes while the nut is normally enjoyed as snacks. The Cashew Research Station under the Kerala Agriculture University at Madakkathara has provided the technology for production of sprouts to Brijith. It has also started sale of cashew sprouts on its own.