Cashew growers expressed diverse views at “Geru Mela” (Cashew Mela) organised at the University of Horticulture's Horticultural Research Station at Ullal near Mangalore on Friday.
Joseph Pinto planted cashew saplings on part of his 1.5 acres of land at Neermarga a few years ago. “There are 15 trees now. They just grow on their own and I do not use pesticides or fertilizers. The yield, of course, is negligible compared to that of a hybrid variety,” he said.
Marcel Braggesh and his wife, who have 100 cashew trees in their land at Merlapadau near Neermarga, take some care of the trees and have no problems with the yield. “I brought seeds from my relative 10 years ago and sowed them,” Mr. Braggesh says. “We prune the trees regularly and harvest the fruits.” Last year, the couple harvested around three quintals of cashew. For many growers, cashew has been a wild crop that required less maintenance. “We do not have the luxury of growing cashew the way it is done at the research station. I did try some techniques suggested by scientists. But I did not get good yield,” said Sanjay Bhat from Neermarga.
The main concern of growers is implementing the modern cultivation techniques that are largely labour intensive. “The responsibility of taking care of cashew and other crops is on our shoulders. We find it hard to get workers for pruning and spraying pesticides at regular intervals,” Mr. Braggesh said.
Scientists at the Horticultural Research Station said yield of cashew in the State was far below the potential. “An average of 900 kg of cashew is being harvested in one hectare of land. There is a potential to grow four tonnes of cashew in one hectare,” said M. Gangadhara Nayak, Principal Scientist (Hort-Fruit Science), Directorate of Cashew Research, Puttur.
Lack of plant protection measures, the scientists said, was the prime reason for decrease in the yield. “Spraying pesticides at regular intervals to control pest problem is very essential. There are pesticides other than endosulfan that can be sprayed,” said S.D. Sampath Samrajya from the Board of Management of Horticultural University.
Mr. Samrajya said the government was giving subsidy of Rs. 20,000 per hectare for three years under the National Horticultural Mission. It was also giving 25 per cent subsidy for purchase of cashew processing equipment, he said. The scientists spoke about the yield from various varieties, including Ullal 3 and Vengula 4 hybrids, which are popular. Scientists explained about different food products such as halwa and juice that could be prepared using cashew fruit.
