Due to fluctuation in temperatures in the cashew-growing regions of Jharkhand, experts are calling for a relook at the recommendations by the National Horticulture Mission (NHM) on cashew cultivation in the state.
With African countries such as Ghana, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, and south-eastern countries like Vietnam growing their cashew crop, India has been trying to bring new areas under cashew crop because of falling production.
The NHM after seeing the presence of naturally-occurring varieties of cashew in some areas of Jharkhand, where climatic conditions were similar to that of the cashew-growing regions of neighbouring Orissa and West Bengal, had identified three districts of East Singhbhum, West Singhbhum and Seraikela-Kharswan as having the ‘potential’ for commercial cashew cultivation.
In 2005-06, NHM had brought around 3,300 hectare, mostly fallow and barren land, in the three districts of the state under cashew cultivation. In East Singhbhum, which has a total area of 2,385 hectare under cashew cultivation, the plantation covering 633 hectare has already yielded its first cashew crop worth Rs 20 lakh in 2008-09.
However, recent changes in weather pattern—temperatures dipped to as low as 8 degrees Celsius in January and February and shot up to an ‘unexpected’ 40 degrees and above in March—has led experts to reconsider the area’s suitability for cashew plantation.
Speaking at a seminar on ‘development of cashew in Jharkhand’ the state’s agriculture & sugarcane secretary Amrendra Partap Singh said because of change in climate not all blocks in the three districts of Jharkhand were suitable for cashew cultivation.
“Not all blocks of the three districts are suitable for cashew plantation, because of the environmental changes forcing us to review the suitability of the area being recommended (for commercial cashew cultivation),” Singh said.
He said the planning of new cashew plantation need to be reconsidered so that there was no adverse effect on the farmers opting for this crop.
As the variety being used by cashew farmers in neighbouring Orissa’s Keonjhar and Mayurbhanj districts was being recommended for Jharkhand farmers too, Singh said the choice of appropriate variety of cashew as per the state scenario was also vital for the initiative’s success.
According to officials from TSRDS, the lead agency appointed by NHM for the East Singhbhum district for giving various kinds of support to cashew farmers, an additional 1,300 hectare will be brought under cashew cultivation in 2010-11, which would take the total area under cashew cultivation in Jharkhand to 4,700 hectare.
