On Thursday, Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar virtually inaugurated the ICAR-Directorate of Cashew Research's "Silver Jubilee Building" in Puttur, Karnataka. Tomar emphasized the cultivation of cashew in an area of approximately 11.25 million hectares, with an annual production of 7 million tonnes.
He claimed that the country's cashew groves are the world's second-largest. Tomar highlighted the fact that India is the world's second-largest producer of raw cashew nuts. He emphasized the importance of setting a goal to close the gap between cashew production and consumption, citing the country's growing cashew consumption. To adopt the ways for strategic planning to enhance the export of cashew instead of its import was also emphasized by Tomar.
The Union Minister praised the Council and its Institutes across India for their unrivalled contributions to the country's agricultural sector. He also emphasized the agricultural scientists' commitment to improving the production and quality of various crops, which has yielded visible results.
"There is a need to increase cashew production and productivity by bringing more land under cashew cultivation," said Tomar. He urged the investigation of potentially suitable areas for its expansion. The Union Minister emphasized the release of 26 varieties, the development of Virtual Software, and the Mobile App "Kaju India" by the ICAR-DCR, Puttur to inform farmers about the latest developed varieties and technologies.
Tomar emphasized the large-scale employment opportunities generated by Cashew Processing, which involves approximately 95 percent farmers, as well as the Cashew Processing Units, which employ approximately 15 lakh people.
The Union Minister saw the New Silver Jubilee Building as a new dimension in the Council's vision of empowering and benefiting the agricultural community, which will aid in the advancement of Cashew crop research. He spoke about the Council's efforts to connect farmers with it through technological advancements. This, he claims, is primarily beneficial to farmers.
Tomar urged scientists to provide prompt and timely solutions to the various problems that farmers face. Asserting the Government of India's commitment to increasing farmers' income, the Union Minister highlighted various schemes such as the Fasal Bima Yojana, a Rs. 1 lakh crore infrastructure fund, the development of 10,000 Farmers' Producers' Organizations (FPOs), and Kisan Credit Cards for Farmers, etc., that are aimed at benefiting the agricultural community to a larger extent.
The Guest of Honor, Kailash Choudhary, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, emphasized the importance of increasing cashew nut production and cultivation area in accordance with the Prime Minister's vision. The Minister also emphasized the importance of benefiting Cashew Farmers through the Central Government's "Lab-to-Land" Scheme and disseminating new Cashew varieties to as many farmers as possible.
The Special Guest, Km. Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare, emphasized the importance of providing prompt solutions to Cashew Farmers by identifying specific problems.
"More productive Cashew crops should be developed by conducting extensive research in the field of Cashew Nut Farming," the Minister urged. Dr. Trilochan Mohapatra, Secretary (DARE) & Director General, emphasised the importance of reducing Cashew Crop imports and popularising it in other areas (ICAR).
