THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, June 27- Leading cashew processors in India has decided to form a national platform to press for curbs on import of cashew kernel from countries like Vietnam and Tanzania, giving stiff competition to the local product despite its acclaim for quality.
A meeting of Cashew Manufacturers and Exporters Association, held the on Monday in Kollam in Kerala, famed for centuries as the “cashew county” of India, decided to press the central government to increase the import duty on cashew kernel, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
According to its office-bearers, dumping of cashew kernel posed a threat to the prospects of the local product despite its better quality.
“The import of kernel on lower tariff has already harmed the industry, which has been a key foreign exchange earner for the country for long,” Association office-bearers said.
Also, cashew processing units in different parts of the country employ hundreds. If the industry is not protected through executive measures, the units will not survive for long.
Kollam had for long been the nerve centre of cashew industry in India. But over the years, many of the units moved to other states like Tamil Nadu, where labour is cheaper.
The factories in the state now depend mostly on raw nuts imported from African countries as local cashew production has dwindled.
– BERNAMA
