Kerala seeks UN help on cashew

KOLLAM: The state government   has sought technical and financial cooperation from the ‘UN Women,’ a subsidiary of the United Nations Organisation for Women Empowerment and Gender Equality, to improve the lot of the women labour force in the cashew and fisheries sector in the state. Cashew Minister J. Mercykkutty Amma  held a meeting  with the officials of ‘UN Women’ at the UN headquarters in New York on Saturday to discuss the matter.

The meeting recommended steps to attract the women groups and self-help organisations working in Africa under ‘UN Women’  empowerment projects towards cashew storage to benefit the cashew industry in Kerala. This will complement the objectives of ‘Cashew conclave 2017’  held  in Thiruvananthapuram.

Steps will be taken to  set up a value-based distribution network internationally. The minister said that Kerala strived  to ensure maximum work days in a year and better perks to the employees.  The number of SAF women groups will be increased to 17,482 across the 222 fisheries villages in the state. Currently,  there are 924 groups working in the area.   It is planned to raise the earnings of women labourers engaged in fish selling and associated activities.   

Kollam district collector Dr. S. Kartihkeyan presented various projects on cashew and fisheries sector proposed in the state. ‘UN Women’ has taken up women empowerment projects worth $64 million across 80 countries, said A.H. Monjurul Kabir, UN Women senior programme adviser, Asia-Pacific. A detailed report on various development programmes will be submitted to the ‘UN Women’  India country office.