<p>It appears that every aspect of the State’s cashew industry is decided by vote bank politics and not by sustainable factors. This applies to even mechanisation. The stark reality is that mechanisation will invite political wrath, which even resulted in violence last month at a cashew factory at Maranadu in Kollam district.For an industry fighting for its survival due to fierce competition, mechanisation is oxygen, say processors.But at the political level, it is discouraged because mechanisation is projected as a villain that would deny work to lakhs of women.<br></p> <p>‘Allegations baseless’</p> <p>But processors term it baseless. “It is being spread by vested interests as a ruse to earn the sympathy of the workers and sustain vote bank politics,” they say. The processors insist that while mechanisation increases production and cuts costs, it will not deny jobs.Ready-for-export kernels cannot be produced through total mechanisation. It will only generate increased quantities of semi-finished raw material, which has to mandatorily go for manual final touches to make them qualified for export.Cashew processing has four phases — roasting, shelling, peeling, and grading. Shelling is the most laborious part and the State faces heavy shortage of labour for that. The work is now almost entirely done by migrant labourers.If mechanised, a factory can produce at least three times the quantity of shelled kernels for peeling a day. That, in turn, will create more job opportunities and that is a phase for which workers queue for work.Overtly, the politicians say that they welcome mechanisation subject to the condition that it will not result is loss of jobs. But the fact is that the process will face technical hurdles when it comes to getting permits from the KSEB, the local body and the Factories and Boilers Department.<br></p> <p>For an industry fighting for its survival, mechanisation is oxygen, say processors.<br></p>