An assessment of production and marketing constraints in cashew cultivation across traditional and non traditional areas of Karnataka

Abstract

India ranks among the world’s top cashew producers, with Karnataka serving as key contributors to the country's cashew production and export. Among the Plantation sector, specifically cashew cultivation plays a pivotal role in boosting farm economy in India. The present study was undertaken in Udupi and Vijayanagara districts, representing traditional and non-traditional cashew-growing regions. A multi-stage random sampling technique was adopted for selecting 60 sample respondents from the study area and the required field data were collected through personal interviews. The respondents were asked to rank the production and marketing constraints according to their perceived severity and the Rank Based Quotient (RBQ) for each constraint was calculated based on the ranks assigned. The findings revealed that in the traditional area, pest and disease incidence (RBQ 86.64) and high wage rates (RBQ 84.73) emerged as the major production constraints, while price fluctuations of raw nuts (RBQ 81.99) and lack of storage facilities (RBQ 81.32) were the most critical marketing challenges. The non-traditional area reported labour scarcity (RBQ 69.97) and lack of experience in cashew cultivation (RBQ 69.42) as major production problems, along with inadequate market facilities (RBQ 76.66) and high transportation costs (RBQ 71.99) as the principal marketing constraints. These findings highlight the need for region-specific interventions, including price stabilization and mechanization in traditional area and training, input support and market infrastructure in non-traditional area to improve productivity, market access and profitability of cashew cultivation in Karnataka.