Ongole: India’s famous Vetapalem cashew nut is on the verge of fading into oblivion. Its cultivation is shrinking and the processing units are gradually closing down. The processing units, which started functioning in 1925, are now lagging behind the South African cashew nuts, which have invaded the Indian market. The cultivation of cashew has come down from 8,000 acre to just 2,700 acres in the district.
Assistant director of the horticulture department B. Ravindrababu said, “Not getting good prices the farmers have shifted to other crops. The cashew nut fields around Vetapalem are also making rooms for real estate ventures.” While, an 80-kg bag of South African cashew nut is available at Rs 5,500, local cashew nut costs Rs 7,000. K. Srirama Murthy, a trader, said “The TTD requires 20 tonnes of cashew nuts per month. Due to the manual processing system, the traders of Vetapalem are not in a position to fulfil this requirement. Kerala traders are supplying them.
