Kerala is currently in the fifth position in cashew cultivation in India While unavailability of raw cashew nuts (RCN) continues to affect the sector, Cashew Board has decided to procure the raw material through e-tender from cashew producing States in India. The decision was made owing to factors such as the delayed receipt of RCN from foreign cashew producing countries, entry of cashew producing countries into processing, rising price and declining quality of RCN received. Until now, raw cashew nuts were procured only from cashew producing countries like Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Ghana and domestic framers within Kerala. According to officials, the raw material will be procured through e-tender from the co-operative societies and government agencies in each State. The State with the highest cashew cultivation in India is Odisha, followed by Andhra Pradesh in the second position and Maharashtra in the third position. Kerala is currently in the fifth position. While States like Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha produce up to two lakh tonnes of RCN, Kerala’s production is only 76,000 tonnes. In the current scenario, approximately four lakh tonnes of raw material is required annually for the functioning of cashew factories in Kerala. The total RCN production within India is around 8 lakh tonnes. “The Cashew Board has decided to procure raw cashew nut from other States of India to ensure fair prices for cashew farmers and to promote cashew cultivation. The Kerala government has announced a price of ₹110 per kg for RCN. Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) has been consistently demanding this as by promoting cashew cultivation and procuring RCN from within India we will be able to keep the cashew factories in Kerala running,” said KSCDC chairperson S. Jayamohan. Since Kerala is a densely populated State, there are many limitations for expanding cashew cultivation. “Currently, cashew is not included in the list of plantation crops. Cashew was also eliminated from all the places that have been converted into plantations. This has led to a dip in cashew cultivation and forcing us to depend on foreign countries for raw material. Currently, eucalyptus and acacia trees in the social forestry areas of Kerala are being replaced with cashew. Cashew seedlings are also being provided free of cost to promote cashew cultivation in Kerala,” he said.