The cashew sector in Kerala is reeling under a severe crisis due to the depreciation of the rupee, said S. Jayamohan, chairman of the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC). All factories under the corporation have been temporarily shut down. The value of the US dollar has surged from ₹62.33 to ₹85.76 over the last decade. In 2014, Tanzanian cashew nuts were priced at $1507 per tonne, amounting to approximately ₹9.40 crore for 1,000 tonnes. At the current dollar value, the price has increased to $2043 per tonne, which would cost ₹17.52 crore for the same quantity. This marks a sharp rise of ₹8.12 crore for 1,000 tonnes. KSCDC requires 10,000 metric tonnes of cashew nuts annually, leading to an additional expenditure of ₹81.2 crore. To compound the issue, worker wages have doubled since 2014, further straining the industry. Meanwhile, cashew nut prices in the market have been on a steady decline. The central government’s policy of importing low-quality nuts at lower prices has put the cashew industry in crisis.