Orissa to overtake Maharashtra in cashew production: official

Bhubaneswar, Nov 3 : Orissa is all set to overtake Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh and emerge as the top cashew producing state of the country in a couple of years.

Orissa Director of Horticulture J D Sharma today said the soil, climatic condition and long coast line of the state was suitable for growing cashew.

In addition to it the development measures taken by the authorities would help increase the production and producity and surpass Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh in next couple of years, he added.

Mr Sharma said at present the state stands third in terms of cashew production in the country after Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

Orissa produces 95,000 tonnes of cashew from 1.26 lakh hectares of land under cashew cultivation per year with a productivity of 860 kg per hectare in comparison to 2,000 kg per hectare in Maharashtra, he added.

Mr Sharma said the productivity was less as the cashew plantation on around 57,000 hectares of land in the state were old and senile and the cashew trees were of seedling origin.

As rejuvenation of these plants were not economically viable, steps had been taken replanting in these areas under National Horticulture Mission progamme, he added.

Mr Sharma said the state government had already announced to introduce cashew plantation under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and encourage cashew cultivation on private lands.

Assistance was being given under the National Horticulture Mission. The government was providing a sum of Rs 15,000 per hectare over a period of three years for cashew cultivation.

The Orissa government had already banned the use of seedling origin planting materials and introduced cashew grafts for more productivity.

He said except Kalahandi and Bolangir cashew was being recommended for cultivation in the rest 28 districts of the state.

Efforts were on to bring more areas under the cashew cultivation, he added.

Earlier, the production was less as the cashew was being cultivated on degraded and hilly terrains by the government agencies with the main objective to check soil erosion.

--UNI

(c) 2009 Published with permission from United News of India.
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