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Rubber supplants cashew in Kasaragod district

KASARAGOD: Troubled by the fluctuation in the price of raw cashew nut in domestic market and encouraged by the attractive price of rubber, cashew farmers in Kasaragod district seem to be taking to rubber cultivation.

Sources in the Agriculture Department say there has been a drastic fall in the area under cashew cultivation in the district in the last two decades. About 20,000 hectares in Kasaragod were under cashew cultivation in the 1980s. But it is only around 12,000 hectares at the most now, they say.

Even the Plantation Corporation, which owns a few cashew plantations in the district, has started diversification of crops. The corporation is planting rubber saplings in its estate at Rajapuram in the district. It is aiming to plant rubber in 100 hectares in its estate here.

Farmers point out that, during the current season, the price of raw nut per kilogram ranged between Rs.38 and Rs.42.

Normally, cashew farmers in rural areas get Rs.38 a kg. During the first week of January, prices hit a high of Rs.49 a kg. The prices ranged between Rs.35 and Rs.42 last year.

Mohan, a farmer from Kanhangad, who owns cashew plantations, says the good price for rubber in the market is luring a large number of farmers to rubber cultivation. Most of the farmers cut down cashew trees to plant rubber. He agrees that large-scale replacement of cashew with rubber is going on in the hilly tracts in the district.

Farmers here opted for cashew cultivation as trees needed little care once the saplings start growing. Moreover, cashew trees grow even in the barren laterite land in the district.

Mr. Mohan says the attack of tea mosquito bugs in cashew plantations has affected the yield considerably in many places.

Lack of scientific cultivation practices is also affecting the yield at several places. At the same time, efforts have been initiated by various organisations to promote scientific cashew farming.

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Rubber supplants cashew in Kasaragod district

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