The State government has decided to increase the procurement price of raw cashew nut (RCN) based on the report of the price fixing committee. While Kerala Bank will provide ₹35 crore to the Cashew Board for procuring RCN from domestic farmers, cooperative societies will be in charge of procurement. The decision was taken at a meeting attended by Industries Minister P. Rajeev and Minister for Cooperation V.N. Vasavan at Thiruvananthapuram. According to officials, the decision to increase the procurement price will be very helpful to the farmers. “Government intervention will ensure that there will be no exploitation by middlemen and the money will be disbursed to the farmers without any delay. The decision will enable Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) and Kerala State Cashew Workers Apex Industrial Cooperative Society (CAPEX) factories to operate with procured RCN. Along with the increase in domestic production, the procurement process will also become more efficient,†they said. The department had earlier instructed the officials to convene meetings with the heads of various PSUs that have been cultivating cashew. The government has been implementing various programmes to increase domestic production and Kerala State Agency for the expansion of Cashew Cultivation (KSACC) has distributed lakhs of high-yielding cashew grafts during the last few years. Prior to the procurement, a meeting of cooperative society governing bodies and the representatives of the KSCDC, Capex and Cashew Board will be held in Kannur and Kasargod, districts that produce the highest quantity of RCN in the State. The meeting will be held on March 7 and 8 in Kannur and Kasargod respectively. The Joint Registrars have been directed to convene similar meetings in other districts. The aim is to successfully conduct the process through a procurement drive. KSCDC Chairman S. Jayamohan, Capex Chairman G. Sivasankara Pillai, Principal Secretary Rajesh Kumar Sinha, and Cooperation Secretary Mini Antony were present at the meeting.