The Chadayamangalam block panchayat has launched a project that will protect the environment and support the cashew industry while ensuring employment for many.
As part of the project, cashew saplings will be planted on 40 hectares of land under Oil Palm India Ltd in the district. While around 12,000 saplings have been already planted, the panchayat authorities plan to take the number to 20,000 by the end of 2019.
The rest of the saplings will be planted on the premises of Oil Palm India and the District Agricultural Farm, Kottukkal.
The high-yielding variety will start flowering in the first year itself and the plants will be ready for harvest by the third year. Another speciality of this variety is that it will be shorter compared to regular cashew plants, making it easier to maintain.
All the saplings have been sourced from the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) nursery at Kottiyam and the corporation has provided the saplings for the project free of cost.
MGNREGS’ service
Service of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers will be used for the project and their wages amounting to ₹3 crore will be the only cost. They will be in charge of planting and maintenance, which ensures them employment for a considerable duration.
According to panchayat officials over 200 workers will get regular employment as part of the project.
“The MGNREGS workers from Chitara and Ettiva panchayats have already received 30,000 working days. They will get a total of 1.5 lakh working days in connection with the project,” said president S. Arunadevi.
Considering water shortage in the area, the panchayat has dug a pond on the premises and three more ponds will come up as the project progresses.
“Biofencing around the land will protect the saplings from wild animals,” she added.
As the plants start yielding within three years, the project will also help to address the crisis in the cashew sector caused by the non-availability of raw cashew nut (RCN).
Domestic cashew production in India is very limited and at present the majority of factories have downed their shutters due to the shortage of raw material.
