Source: The Hindu
THRISSUR, KERALA, INDIA, December 15, 2001: Adopting strict organic farming methods can be a reliable way out from the crisis that the cashew farmers are facing now in the wake of the falling prices of their produce and the extreme competitive atmosphere caused by the World Trade Organization regime, according to a study. The study was prepared by Dr. M. Abdul Salam, the Head of the Cashew Research Station of the Kerala Agricultural University (KAU), Madakkathra, near here. Emphasizing that there is a great demand for organically produced food stuffs like cashew and spices, especially from the Western countries, Dr. Salam says these changes have made organic cashew nut production, processing and marketing immensely potential areas for exploitation. Organic cashews can well fetch a premium price. An encouraging aspect of cashew farming in India is that a large portion of it — almost 90 per cent — is already being done without the involvement of chemicals and pesticides, which means that the country’s cashews are by and large organic. But the absence of the approved certifying agencies is hindering the prospects in effectively exploiting this potential of India as the producer of large quantity of organic cashew. However, regulatory procedures are now being evolved by the government to certify production, processing and marketing of organic cashew.