Union agri minister inaugurates Silver Jubilee Building of ICAR-DCR, Puttur

According to Narendra Singh Tomar, the new building will help in advancing the research on the cashew crop

Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare virtually inaugurated the Silver Jubilee Building of the ICAR-Directorate of Cashew Research, Puttur, Karnataka.

Tomar underlined the cultivation of cashew in around 11.25 Lakh ha area having an annual production of 7 lakh tonnes. He stated that the area under cashew in the country is the second-largest in the world. Tomar accentuated that India is the second-largest country in the production of raw cashew nuts in the world. Highlighting the ever-increasing consumption of cashew in the country, he also stressed the need for setting a goal to fill up the gap between its production and consumption. Adopt the ways for strategic planning to enhance the export of cashew instead of its import was also emphasised by Tomar.

“There is a need to enhance the cashew’s production and its productivity by bringing more area under the cashew cultivation,” stressed Tomar. He urged exploring the possible suitable areas for its expansion. The release of 26 varieties, the development of Virtual Software and the Mobile App ‘Kaju India’ by the ICAR-DCR, Puttur for apprising the farmers about the latest developed varieties and technologies were underlined by the Union Minister. The large scale employment opportunities generated by cashew processing, which involves around 95 per cent of farmers along with the cashew processing units providing employment to about 15 Lakh people were highlighted by Tomar.

The Union Minister regarded the New Silver Jubilee Building as a new dimension in the council’s vision of empowering and benefiting the agricultural community which will help in advancing the research on the cashew crop. He stated about the council’s efforts of enabling the farmers to connect with it through technological advancements. This, he said, is beneficial to a large extent for the farmers.

According to Narendra Singh Tomar, the new