Grow more cashew: An innovation mantra to revive Goa’s best-known agri-ambassador

PANJIM: The journey of cashews in Goa began nearly 450 years ago when the Portuguese missionaries brought in the cashew plant from Brazil to prevent soil erosion in the State.

In Circa 2023, Goa faces a unique challenge. There is land but not enough under cultivation. Moreover, exports of cashew, which has by far the largest potential for export earnings, as well as playing a critical role in Goa’s economic value chain, are below optimum.

A year after the State reported nearly a 50 per cent drop in the annual cashew yield, a unique hackathon ‘Hack-A-Cashew’, is underway in order to put the spotlight on one of Goa’s most popular cash crops and examine novel ways and means to boost the cashew output in Goa.

The one-of-a-kind hackathon is being conducted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Goa, with the Goa Institute of Management (AIC-GIM) as a knowledge partner on the occasion of National Startup Day. ‘Hack-A-Cashew’ is currently inviting applications with innovative ideas and solutions to increase the State’s cashew yield.

In order to prepare for the unique hackathon, CII and AIC-GIM teams visited various cashew growers and industry experts in the State to understand the issues faced by them from a production perspective. According to them, Goa doesn’t export enough cashew nuts despite large tracts of uncultivated land in the State, which is available for farming. Lack of geographical indication (GI) labelling on Goan cashew products has also resulted in farmers earning low rates for their cashew crop.

In an attempt to aid the cashew industry in Goa and boost the entrepreneurial potential of the local youth, CII and AIC-GIM are encouraging startup ideas related to mechanical, digital, agritech, value-addition, and sustainability solutions in the area of cashew production.

“Cashew is an important cash crop in Goa. This one-of-a-kind hackathon on the occasion of National Startup Day is aimed at revitalising the cashew ecosystem in Goa, through innovative ideas and solutions to increase cashew yield in the State. We expect the hackathon to serve as a platform for ideas that will revive and rejuvenate interest as well as add an efficient edge to various processes involved in cashew nut farming, production, and processing,” said Rajesh Joshi, CEO of AIC-GIM.