Director of Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR), Puttur, J. Dinakara Adiga said on Wednesday that value-added products of cashew apple can be a game changer for increasing farmers income.

Speaking at the inauguration of a three-day national workshop on ‘Scientific Innovations for Sustainable Cashew Production and Value Chain Development’ organised by the DCR, under ICAR, in Puttur, he reiterated the institute’s commitment towards sustainable cashew research and technology transfer.

There is a need to bring together researchers, policy makers and stakeholders on a common platform to address emerging challenges and opportunities in the cashew industry, the director said.

K. Kamala, conservator of Forests and managing director, Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation Limited (KCDC), Mangaluru, said cashew is a prominent crop of climate resilience and for improving livelihood of farmers. A majority of the area under cashew comes under plantation corporations and is low-yielding with 3-4 kg/tree. The latest technologies of the directorate must be employed for improving the productivity of cashew, and proper management is the key to realising this goal.

Value addition of cashew apple should be promoted in the coming days for income enhancement of farmers, she said.

Dadasaheb Desai, deputy director, Directorate of Cashewnut and Cocoa Development, Kochi, briefed the participants about the widening demand supply gap of raw cashewnuts in India and the need to strengthen the raw cashewnut production through coordinated efforts of research institutes, State horticulture departments and plantation corporations.

The workshop aims at capacity development of the State-level horticulture and agriculture officials, scientists of All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) centres on cashew and ICAR institutes and officers of Plantation Corporations.

A total of 50 delegates representing nine States are participating in the workshop.