Srikakulam: Palasa and Uddanam areas are famous for cashew crops and production in Srikakulam which are affected by Hudhud cyclone and subsequent power crisis.
In every acre about six bags (80 kgs) of cashew are being produced. In total, 430 cashew processing units are present in Palasa, Kasibugga and its surrounding areas.
Cashew plants in 3,000 acres in all 11 mandals were damaged and power crisis hit the industry hard.
In over 430 cashew units more than 2,000 bags of cashew was being produced from raw cashew nuts, but it has stopped due to the cyclone and power crisis.
Raw cashew nuts are being imported in processing units at Palasa from Ivory Coast, Tanzania, Gambia, Nigeria and other countries, but due to power crisis the cashew nuts import has stopped. “To run boilers and heat houses in processing units, power is essential and we are unable to maintain high capacity generators. We closed units six days ago due to which we lost production worth about Rs 10 crore,” said Palasa cashew manufacturers association (PCMA), secretary, M. Suresh Kumar.
In total 22,000 persons are working in the processing units and they have lost their jobs, said cashew workers union (CWU) secretary, A. Krishnamurhty.
Phailin and Hudhud cyclones created huge loss to cashew farmers and the industry and if the Government does not provide relief to cashew farming, manufacturing may lose its identity, opined Cashew Farmers Association president, B. HemanthaRao.
