Ramesh Savaikar
Bicholim
Unfavourable weather
conditions witnessed last month have severely affected cashew blossom, and plantation owners in Bicholim taluka estimate a yield drop of at least 40 per cent
this year.
At the onset of March, there was good cashew blossom.
“However, during the
last three weeks of the month, the weather
turned damp, cloudy and foggy, scorching the blossom and reducing fruit-bearing capacity, which in turn affected the ripening period of cashew fruits,” said retired agriculture deputy director Pradeep Malik from Kudne–Bicholim.
Cashew producer Rayu Sawant from Sarvan village said that by the end of March he would usually sell about seven–eight quintals of cashew, but this year he has sold only four quintals so far.
“Cashew farmers were happy due to the early good blossom, but hopes were ruined due to adverse weather prevailing for the last three weeks, and cashew production
will drop by 40%–50%,”
he said.
Ratnakar Govenkar from Bandar-Vhavti said that if there are light showers in April, there is a possibility of some additional cashew production in May, which may offer some relief
to farmers.
The cashew liquor production business has also been affected due to lower availability of locally produced cashew fruits.
“We are compelled to make purchases of cas-
hew fruits from Dodamarg, Maharashtra. Due to transport expenditure increase, business profit is affected,” said Pradeep V Sawant-Gaonkar from Vathadev-Sarvan.
