A cashew distillery units in Canacona.
Photo Credits: The Goan
CANACONA
With the cashew season still a month away before coming to an end, cashew cultivators and officials in Canacona are a disappointed lot. The cashew season which began on a poor note is also coming to an end in a similar fashion.
But they are still hopeful that late cashew flowering in May can provide a better yield of cashew nuts.
While official figures claim cashew is being cultivated on 3,500 hectares of land, sources say cashew is being cultivated in about 2,500 hectares in Canacona taluka. However not everyone is cultivating the cashew crop due to various factors, particularly costs of labour.
On average, a cashew plantation in one hectare of land can produce around 400-450 kgs of cashew nuts, while a sufficient amount of cashew juice can be extracted from cashew apples which are crushed in machines or manually, eventually delivered to the few seasonal cashew distilleries in Canacona.
“Last year, the cashew yield was no better and this year, there is a 15-20% drop in cashew yield. But there is still a month to go and if nature has its way, any late cashew flowering in May can turn the tide and can provide good returns to several cashew farmers who are hoping for some turnaround,” informed a source in the Canacona Zonal Agriculture office (ZAO).
The four major cashew dealers who have counters at the Chaudi Market Yard are the Adarsh Krishi Sahakari Kharedi Vikri Prakriya Saunstha Maryadit (AKSKVPSM), the Goa Bagayatdar and two private dealers. The four major cashew dealers are reported to receive 95% production of Canacona’s raw cashew seeds.
Some of these dealers have admitted that there has been a 15-25% drop in yield this year, but they too are hopeful for a better yield in May.
“Each season, we used to receive over 100 tonnes of cashew seeds from our over 600 society members alone. However this year, we have so far received just about 7 loads, which is about 70 tonnes,” said a member of the AKSKVPSM, which claims to have over 32,000 members across the State.
“The rates which were Rs 161/kg at the beginning of the season now presently stand at Rs 63/kg. However, the usual flow has stopped in mid-April itself.”
A private cashew dealer informed that while 15 loads were dispatched at the end of the last cashew season, he could dispatch only 8 loads so far and may get another 2 loads before the season ends.
The Goa Bagayatdar counter which annually despatches around 7-8 loads has so far despatched only 4 loads so far. The second private cashew dealer in Canacona with an average of 20 loads, has so far despatched only around 15 loads but hopes for a turnaround with a late cashew yield.
The cashew distilleries in Canacona have also complained of poor output and some have reportedly even wound up their trade due to a shortage of cashew apples/cashew juice.
“We could barely operate our distillery with limited availability of cashew apples. Except for 2-3 buckets now, we have hardly got any cashew apples since the last fortnight. As of now, we hardly operate our distillery for Urak or Feni,” stated a stakeholder from Khola.
Added another cashew distillery owner, “We keep our distillery open for distillation as and when we get juice other than what we extract, and that from the surrounding cashew plantations.”
A cashew distillery operator from Shristhal said he still operates his distillery from the meagre juice available from surrounding areas.
