PANJIM: Forest Minister Vishwajit Rane on Friday pitched for raising the minimum support price for cashew nuts in a bid to encourage farmers to increase production and make it a profitable entity.
Speaking at the sidelines of the curtain raiser event of State’s first ever cashew festival, to be held in April, Rane said that he will hold discussion with Agriculture Minister Ravi Naik requesting to increase the minimum support price for cashew nuts as several families in the rural areas are directly or indirectly dependent on the crop to earn a livelihood.
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Rane said that not just in Sattari but many families in Pernem, Canacona, Sanguem and Dharbandora primarily eke out a living on cashew production. The State government in 2020 had increased minimum support price by Rs 20 with Rs 105 as base price.
Earlier, speaking at the event, Rane said that all the stakeholders including Agriculture, ICAR will have to work collectively to introduce modern techniques to help farmers to increase production.
The first Cashew Fest Goa 2023 to be hosted by the Goa Forest Development Corporation (GFDC) will be held on April 15 and 16, at Campal.
GFDC Chairman Deviya Rane said that they want to make this festival an annual event and put it on the tourist calendar. She said that efforts would be made to make cashew and by product known on global platform.
She said that compared to the other States, where cashew production is over 1,400 kg per hectares, in Goa, where cashew is a main cash crop, the production is limited to only 450 kg per ha.
Rane pointed out that the Excise Department is in talks with other States to allow sale of feni there and also across airports.
