Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation (KCDC) chairperson Mamatha Gatti said that the corporation will seek Rs 50 crore from the state govt to develop nurseries, raise plantations and rejuvenate existing plantations, by taking up planting of freshly grafted plants. She told reporters, after taking charge as the chairperson of the corporation, here on Monday, that the corporation has plans to take up new cashew plantations in its jurisdiction. “While Rs 50 crore will be sought from the state govt for various activities, a proposal for Rs 10 crore has been submitted under the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) and Rs 8 crore under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) during the year,†she added. The corporation will launch a campaign, ‘Manegondu geru mara’, to encourage people to plant at least one cashew sapling in their house. The proposal will be discussed in the board meeting of the corporation shortly, to take a final call. Hobli-level workshops in each assembly constituency will be organised in the coming days, to create awareness on cashew cultivation. A district-level workshop will also be organised by inviting the forest minister to the programme, she said. Karnataka stands fifth in the country in terms of area under cashew cultivation, and sixth in production. The corporation is cultivating cashew on 25,629.7ha in DK, Udupi, Uttara Kannada and Shivamogga districts. The corporation fetched revenue of Rs 414.1 lakh during 2022-23. The revenue was Rs 493.4 lakh in 2021-22 and Rs 534.6 lakh in 2020-21, Gatti said. Corporation MD Kamala Karikalan said that the total cashewnut production from the corporation plantation is 616 tonnes, while the total production in Karnataka is 53,000 tonnes. The national productivity per hectare is 700 kg, while in Karnataka it is 450 kg, she added.