Union Budget disappoints Kerala’s cashew sector

The cashew sector has expressed disappointment over the Budget announcements as the major demands of the industry remain unaddressed.

Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) chairperson S. Jayamohan said that Modi government has been neglecting the cashew sector for the last ten years and the Central government’s current Budget reflects the same. He added that the crisis deepened after the implementation of import duty by the Centre along with the permission to import low-quality cashew kernels, and the refusal of nationalised banks under the control of the Ministry of Finance to restructure loans to processors who approached them.

Protests

“Crisis continues in the cashew industry, which employs around 2.5 lakh workers. Various stakeholders, including processors, unions, and labourers, have been asking for a ₹500 crore package to protect the industry and its labourers. Modi government’s Budget has completely ignored this plea for help. Our demands were communicated to the Central government before the Budget, but they opted to ignore the sector. This calls for protests and agitations,” he said.

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) district committee said that the Budget presented by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman completely disregarded the traditional industries, including cashew, which is an important sector in the district providing livelihood to many. The CITU leaders pointed out that there are no measures in the Budget that give hope to ordinary workers.

Revival package

“The long-standing demand of the industry was repeated this time too, requesting to announce a revival package that would boost the cashew industry, considering that it is a sector where lakhs of women are employed. While Makhana (lotus seed) Board will be established in Bihar, there is not even a mention of Kerala’s traditional industries in the Budget. The main demands of the cashew industry such as removing the import duty on raw cashew nuts and imposing restrictions on the direct import of processed kernels were not considered,” they said.