In news– The Tamil Nadu Cashew Processors and Exporters Association (TNCPEA) has applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Panruti cashews recently.
About Panruti cashews-
- Panruti cashews are slightly small, unique in nature because of the taste and quality.
- Colloquially known as the ‘goldmine’ of Cuddalore, it has a huge demand across India and the world.
- Panruti cashew is mainly cultivated in laterite, red and coastal sands.
- The cashew apples from Panruti are round-shaped and bright red in colour.
- The average fruit weight is 42.80 gm while the nuts are of medium size with an average weight of 6.63 gm and kernel weight of 1.7 g.
- Out of six cashew varieties selected from different parts of India, the Panruti variety showed significant results in high raw protein content of 23.0g/100g.
- The moisture content of the Panruti cashew is also low when compared to other varieties
- GI tagging of Panruti cashews would not only provide a fillip to the industry but would also enhance the secondary economic activities in the region and safeguard the interests of farmers and cashew exporters from the region.
About Cashew & its cultivation in India–
- Cashew (Anacardium occidentale), a native of Brazil, was introduced in India during the later half of the Sixteenth Century for the purpose of afforestation and soil conservation.
- Red sandy loam, lateritic soils and coastal sands with slightly acidic pH are best for cashew.
- They also thrive on pure sandy soils, although mineral deficiencies are more likely to occur.
- Heavy clay soils with poor drainage and soils with pH more than 8.0 are not suitable for cashew cultivation.
- Excessive alkaline and saline soils also do not support its growth.
- It is a tropical plant and can thrive even at high temperatures.
- Young plants are sensitive to frost.
- Areas where the temperatures range from 20 to 30°C with an annual precipitation of 1000 – 2000 mm are ideal for cashew growing.
- Commercial cultivation of cashew is taken up in eight states of our country mainly in west and eastern coast viz., Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamilnadu and West Bengal.
- In addition, cashew is also grown in a few pockets of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.
Source: The Hindu
