ANALYSIS OF CASHEW NUT PRODUCTION IN INDIA

Transcription

1 ANALYSIS OF CASHEW NUT PRODUCTION IN INDIA A. SENTHIL*; DR M P MAHESH** *PH D RESEARCH SCHOLAR IN COMMERCE, ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY, ANNAMALAI NAGAR **ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF COMMERCE, ANNAMALAI UNIVERSITY, ANNAMALAI NAGAR Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.), often referred to as wonder nut, is one of the most valuable processed nuts traded on the global commodity markets and is also an important cash crop. It has the potential to provide source of livelihood for the cashew growers, empower rural women in the processing sector, create employment opportunities and generate foreign exchange through exports. The term Cashew has originated from the Brazilian name Acajaiba and the Tupi name Acaju which the Portuguese converted into Caju and is commonly known as Kaju in India. It is known as Paragi Andi in Kerala meaning foreign nut, Lanka Beeja in Orissa assuming its introduction from Sri Lanka and Mundri indicating the shape of the nut in Tamil Nadu. Cashew is cultivated mainly in the Asian, African and Latin American zones Statement of the Problem In the beginning cashew was mainly considered as a crop for afforestation. As it can adapt to varied agro climatic conditions, it has become a crop of high economy and commercial value. The cultivation and marketing of cashew nut involve a considerable amount of manpower and hence play a vital role in the economic activities in India. However, in recent years the owners of the cashew nut growers are unable to obtain optimum yield and return. The coastal states of India are the main cashew producers. Though the production flourishes both in domestic and foreign trade, the problems associated with its cultivation, domestic and export marketing do not permit the growers to reap optimum return and traders do not get reasonable profit. In India, large numbers of middlemen are involved in domestic and export marketing of cashew nut. As there is no organized domestic and export market for cashew nuts, many a time the growers are at the mercy of unscrupulous village traders. Further in the recent past, the export price of cashew nut is widely fluctuated due to changes in foreign market. Therefore, a scientific study to explore the ways and means to identify the problems connected with the production and marketing of cashew nut in order 106

2 to enlighten the people concerned about the inherent strength, weakness, opportunity and threat becomes relevant and socially significant. The main objective of the article is to highlight the growth and performance of cashew nut production in the various states in India during to The secondary data were collected from the Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development, Cashew Export Promotion Council, Cashew Research Stations, Agricultural Department, Forest Department, District Industrial Centre, Directorate of Horticulture, Directorate of Economics and Statistics and Directorate of Agricultural Marketing. Cashew Nut Production India is the largest producer of cashew nut in the world as well as in Asia accounting per cent of world cashew production in It has the largest area harvested under the raw cashew nuts in the world. it is an important plantation crop in wasteland development programme due to its utility in soil conservation and to buildup of balanced ecosystem. The major cashew nut producing states in India are Maharastra, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa and West Bengal. The cashew nut production of major producing states in India from to is shown in Table 1. It is seen from the table, that there was an increasing trend in the production of cashew nut throughout the study period. The annual production of cashew nut varied throughout the study and the variation ranged from per cent to per cent. As per the F.A.O statistics, 21.6 per cent of the world harvested area under cashew nut was in India and the country accounted for 17.3 per cent of the total world cashew nut production during the year Maharastra is the leading cashew nut producer in India. It has an average of metric tonnes per annum. It alone has registered a gradual increasing trend during the study period except the years , and The reasons behinds are pest and disease problems in cashew cultivation and due to water stress 107

3 TABLE 1 Cashew Nut Production in the Major Producing States in India during 1990 to (Qty in Mt) Year Maharas tra Kerala Andhra Pradesh Orissa Karna taka Tamil Nadu Goa West Bengal Others Total Increas e\decre ase % of Increase\ Decrease TOTA L AVG RANK I II III IV V VI VII VIII PER CENT CGR

4 Source: The Cashew Export Promotion Council, Cochin. during flowering and fruiting. 1 It contributes per cent of India s production. The compound growth rate reveals that the Maharastra occupies the first place followed by Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The Compound Growth Rate is per cent per annum. Kerala is the second largest cashew nut producer in India. It has also an increasing trend during the study period except the years to , to , , , and Its contribution is per cent of India s production. The reason behinds are felling of cashew trees, conservation of cashew area into rubber plantations, rising in prices and conservation cashew into turmeric in small patches. Recurring cost in kerala was high due to high labour cost. The Compound Growth Rate is 4.70 per cent per annum. Andhra Pradesh has an average of metric tonnes during the study period. It has an increasing trend in cashew nut production. There was a decreasing in trend production due to plantations have been established with clonal material of high yielding varieties 2. Its contribution to India s production is per cent per annum. The Compound Growth Rate is 5.40 per cent per annum. Orissa has an average production of metric tonnes in the study period. It has increasing trend of cashew nut productions throughout the period. But, there was also decreasing trend noticed in the years , , and The reason behinds are pest and disease improper utilization manures and fertilizer, mildew and cyclones, deforestation and farmers switch over to commercial crops like jute and sugarcane. Its contribution to India s production is per cent per annum and Compound Growth Rate is 6.00 per cent per annum. Karnataka has an average of metric tonnes of cashew nut productions over the period. It has an increasing trend in cashew nut production. But, unfortunately there was decreasing trend identified in the years , , , , and Its contribution to India s production is 8.90 per cent per annum. The reasons behind are high cost of grafter/air layer, lack of plant production chemicals and establishment cost was relatively higher than other crops. The Compound Growth Rate is per cent per annum. Tamil Nadu is the six largest producer state of cashew nut in India. It has an average of metric tonnes during the study period. Production has an increasing trend except the years and The reasons behind are replantation, deforestation, rainfall and temperature which are also the two major factors contributing cashew production. Cloudy weather during flowering sometimes is beneficial, but heavy rains during flowering and fruit 1 Haldankar, P.M. Strategies and Constraints for Cashew Production in Maharastra, The Cashew, 18(8), p Venkattakumar R., Socio Economic Factors for Cashew Production and Implicative Strategies: An Over View, Indian Res.J. Ext. Edu. 9(3) September, (2009) 109

5 Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing & Management Review ISSN development results in crop loss. Its contribution is 8.70 per cent per annum and Compound Growth Rate is 8.90 per cent per annum. Goa has an average production of metric tonnes throughout the study period. The production has an increasing trend but unfortunately decreasing trend has also been noticed during the years , , , and respectively. Drought and poor soils, without any addition of fertilzers and improper pruning are the main causes for decreasing trend in cashew cultivation. Its contribution to India s production is 5.01 per cent per annum and Compound Growth Rate is 4.30 per cent per annum. West Bengal has an average of metric tonnes during the period. It has an increasing trend in production except in the years and The main causes are pest and disease attacking during flowering and mild fog. It contributes 1.5 per cent of India s production and Compound Growth Rate is 6.5 per cent per annum. Conclusion The cashew nut production in Indian states has been gradually increasing from to But sometimes a negative trend and rapid declining have also been noticed over the study period because of poor crop husbandry and rampant disease spread to endamic level which causes completely collapse the production process. Problems due to major pests of cashew and the supply of quality planting material require attentions of research and development departments. Massive area expansion programme and rejuvenation of old cashew orchards of seedling origin, coupled with supply of quality planting material may have the potential to alter the cashew production, processing and exim scenariof not only these four states but also the whole country. The policy initiatives towards promotion of cashew growers cooperatives (for procurement of raw nuts, supply of inputs, credit and infrastructure, small scale processing, value addition and marketing), and cashew apple processing will definitely widen the perspective of cashew growers References Journal Haldankar, P.M. Strategies and Constraints for Cashew Production in Maharastra, The Cashew, 18(8), P R. Venkattakumar Socio Economic Factors for Cashew Production and Implicative Strategies: An Over View, Indian Res.J. Ext. Edu. 9(3) September (2009) Websites