India: Branding revives cashew industry

The cashew industry in Kasaragod, which has been on a low since the endosulfan mishap, is back on the path of revival thanks to a Kudumbashree initiative which has been marketing the nut as part of its Saphalam project since 2008.
"The brand, Parangi Nuts, marketed by Kudumbashree has been received well and has turned out to be one of the most sought after brands of cashew nut even in Gulf countries," said C A Abdul Majeed, district coordinator of Kudumbashree Mission in Kasaragod.

"The cashew processing project was started in the same manner as the Goat Village project in Kannur and thirteen units function under the project now. We make sure that we only use only high quality cashew nuts from growers," he said. All units procure the cashew, process it and bring it to the main unit in Chemmanad Panchayat, where the nuts are graded before being packaged. Based on the grading, the nut is marketed in 27 varieties.
"Though the price is slightly higher - in the range of Rs 400 to 700 - based on the quality, it has a good market because of its quality," he said. "Since we don't have an export licence, the exporting is done via agents and the project has started making profit."
Since there is a fear among people about the adverse effects of endosulfan, the coordinators got samples from the plantations tested by the scientists from the National Research Centre on Cashew (NRCC) to ensure its quality, said officials. "Moreover, we collect cashew from areas that are not affected by the deadly pesticide and hence there is no fear of any poisonous element being in the nuts," said Unnikrishnan.
Source: The India Times