<p>The government has undertaken a project to introduce new varieties of cashew nuts and coffee while introducing modern technology and research to develop and expand their cultivation.</p> <p>The project aims to increase cashew and coffee cultivation from the existing 2,000 hectares to a combined 6,000 hectares in order to increase production by 50 per cent.</p> <p>The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) endorsed the initiative, "Cashew nut, coffee research, development and expansion", involving Tk 211.84 crore.</p> <p>The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), a wing of the Ministry of Agriculture, will implement the project between July 2020 and June 2025.</p> <p>Under the project, high yielding varieties of cashew and coffee will be developed. This will have a positive impact on the livelihoods of farmers in hill areas as these two cash crops can be grown on unused land with low investment.</p> <p> </p> <p>According to project documents, the government also plans to increase the country's export earnings with these two products after meeting local demand.</p> <p>The initiative will help reduce poverty and provide nutrition as well.</p> <p>During the implementation period, the DAE will organise a total of 5,250 exhibitions on cashew nut cultivation and 5,250 exhibitions for coffee.</p> <p>It will also provide training to 49,500 farmers and 480 officials of the department. This includes foreign training and exposure visits for DAE employees and scientists.</p> <p>The farmers will be provided 1,350 coffee processing sets while a total of 500 solar irrigation units will be set up in hilly areas.</p> <p>Besides, an office building will be constructed at Kaptai Horticulture Centre in Rangamati.</p> <p>In addition, a modern field lab will be set up at the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute in Khagrachhari.</p> <p><strong>CASHEW NUT PLANT AT BANGABANDHU SHILPA NAGAR</strong></p> <p>Meanwhile, Bangladesh Steel Re-Rolling Mills, a leading steel maker in the country, will invest Tk 50 crore to set up a cashew nut processing plant at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Shilpa Nagar, a move that will boost the local economy and encourage farmers.</p> <p>With people becoming more and more health conscious, cashew nut cultivation has increased in line with growing demand in local markets.</p> <p>Three hill districts -- Bandarban, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari -- hold the highest potential for cashew nut cultivation in Bangladesh.</p> <p>Most farmers in these areas are already growing the plant on a limited scale. However, growers in Bandarban have begun commercial farming to meet the increased demand.</p> <p>According to the DAE office in Bandarban, cashew nuts were cultivated on around 1,797 hectares of land last year while about 1,323 tonnes of cashews were produced in Bandarban.</p> <p>Now, the farmers of the district's Ruma and Thanchi upazilas are cultivating cashew nuts on a massive scale as demand is growing and seems more profitable than other fruit cultivation.</p> <p>Besides, cashew nuts are not perishable and easy to carry to the market. Currently, a total of 1,600 farmers in the district are involved in cashew nut cultivation.</p> <p>The DAE provides training on proper cultivation methods for better harvesting and quality output.</p> <p>The Ecnec also approved a project involving Tk 448.37 crore to help people establish family gardens for nutrition on unused land and home estates.</p>