Around 100 farmers from Kokkada, Uppinangady, Kadaba and Sullia taluks of Dakshina Kannada participated in a training programme titled ‘Cashew production and post-harvest technologies’, organised by the Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR) in Puttur on Saturday.

The DCR, established under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, organised the training programme on the release of the 23rd installment of the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

There were technical sessions on cashew planting and aftercare, value addition of cashew apple and agribusiness opportunities in cashew, handled by Eradasappa E., Principal Scientist (Plant Breeding), Veena G.L., Senior Scientist (Spices, Plantation, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants), and Aswathy Chandrakumar, Scientist (Agricultural Extension).

As part of the programme, farmers were sensitised to sustainable agricultural practices, introduced to innovative value-addition opportunities, and participated in tasting sessions of cashew apple-based products such as cookies and fruit bars. The sessions highlighted the immense potential of cashew apple utilisation in enhancing farm incomes.

The participants were taken to the Cashew Museum, Drone Technology Laboratory and field demonstrations on high-density planting in cashew, enabling them to gain first-hand insights into the latest technologies and innovations developed by the DCR.

An interactive session with scientists gave the farmers an opportunity to seek expert guidance on region-specific cashew varieties, management of tea mosquito bug and cashew stem and root borer, preservation and utilisation of cashew apples, and the various government support schemes available to farmers, a release from the DCR said.

The programme was organised in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and sponsored by Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana - Remunerative Approaches for Agriculture and Allied Sector Rejuvenation (RKVY-RAFTAAR), Government of Karnataka.