Cashing in on Cashew

"Progress" is a very relative term. 20 year old Lakshmi, from Koondapur in Karnataka lived in a thatched hut without a toilet, kitchen or any other basic amenities, a mere seven years ago. Living with her husband and two children, she had no clue whether she could even afford to feed the family the next day. Today, her house boasts of a concrete roof, a bathroom, a kitchen and is furnished with a small cot. The family often gathers around the radio in the evenings to listen to popular Kannada songs!

This climb in the social ladder is a reality in the lives of many other rural women living in Puttur, Sulya, Udupi and the South Kanara district of coastal Karnataka. For Lakshmi, and scores of other unskilled and uneducated women, life changed completely the day they started working in the cashew industry. Taking home an average of Rs.900 a week, life has ceased to be a constant struggle for them

Over 3000 women from these areas have found a lifeline in the flourishing cashew enterprises which offers scope for employment in avenues like manufacturing, processing and export. With the guarantee of a definite income all year round, these women have not only bettered their lives in recent years, but are also funding the education of their children now.

Previously engaged in either farming or beedi-rolling, the shift in the employment pattern took place a decade ago. The cancerous health hazards of beedi-rolling and the heavy manual labour in the fields took a toll on these women and they started looking for alternative sources of income. Struggling with unemployment for over four years, the setting up of cashew industry in the state , by the government in the late 90's came as a boon to them. Coastal Karnataka, being climatically and geographically suitable, became the cashew hub of the country after The National Horticultural Mission declared this nut as one of the 11 crops to be popularized.

Kerala, South Kanara and the Konkan coastal areas are the centres of cashew nut cultivation in the country; which is the world's largest exporter of these nuts. In the Udupi district alone, 25000 hectares of plantation was set up initially with an investment of Rs.850 lakhs. Today, around 160 cashew enterprises are seen here. A labour-oriented field, all factories have over 95% women employees as neither is heavy machinery operated, nor is stressful toiling required. Men are engaged only in the packaging and transport departments.

In India, cashew cultivation starts in November but the crop is ready for harvest only in May. Farmers have had a fairly good produce as no major disease or epidemic has been recorded in recent years. The quality of Indian nuts, especially the Goan variety is in great demand all over the world; it surpasses even the African ones. The local demand for cashews increases during Christmas and Diwali but good business is enjoyed all year round. Consumption is relatively higher in Mumbai, Delhi and other northern states.

In the 75 processing plants in the Udupi district, rural women are hired and given weekly wages according to their work output. With working hours from 8 in the morning to early evening, their domestic chores remain unaffected. There is also the option of taking the nuts home and peeling it; mainly to help support the elderly and disabled women.

Cashew processing involves boiling the nuts, initially. Large quantities are heated in incinerators and then roasted. The kernels are then cut using simple machinery, followed by heating again and peeling. Grading is done next where the cashews are separated by hand on the basis of size and colour. Over 30 kinds of nuts are manufactured in India, ranging from small, brownish ones to the large Ivory-white ones. The final packaging is done depending on whether the nuts are of export quality or for the local market. The cashews are vacuum packed, treated with a gaseous mixture of 70%Nitrogen and 30%Carbon-di-oxide to prevent spoilage and then sealed. Thus packed, these nuts can be stored for around a year without chances of rotting.

Nalina, 33 of Kukoondoor says, "I have worked for 13 years as a cashew peeler, and have three daughters who attend school. In the evenings, they also help me shell extra kernels at home. We lead comfortable lives today because we earn almost Rs.1200 every week." Mallika, another villager in Karkala, turned to working in these factories after her husband abandoned her family six years ago. Stranded, without an educational background, money or relatives to turn to, she had no option but to join the cutting department of a kernel processing factory. Introduced to this job by a neighbour, she is still employed as a cutter, six days a week. "I work here along with my mother and sister. Together, we support my children. The absence of a man in charge of running the household is not felt anymore. This job has given me a new lease of life. I am making plans for my sister's wedding next year," she proudly adds.

Benefits like sickness and maternity leave, provident fund, insurance and gratuity for the women, organized by the government has made their lives more secure. Manager of the Mahalasa exports in Hiriadka, Mr.Rohildas says, "The government earnestly supports the cause of employing these under-privileged women. Recently, taxes have been reduced to 4% and incentives have also been assigned for the labourers." Since there is no specific retirement age in this industry, women can continue to work as long as they are physically able to.

And there is demand for more labour. Partner of B.R.K cashew industries in Karkala, Jayawant Kamat says, "The company started with fifteen labourers 50 years ago. Today there are over 800 women employed by us. We can hire 200 more women right away, as the demand for cashew nuts is on the rise and the industry depends entirely on manual labour, not machinery. We have set up a unit in Padubidri, near Mangalore where beginners are taught tasks like peeling, cutting and grading of kernels. Started four months ago, several women have been absorbed by the factories already. On an average, each worker can earn around Rs.180 a day. Bus facilities have also been recently arranged for the workers."

Interestingly, there is no environment pollution caused as a result of processing and packaging cashews as can be seen in most other industries. All the by-products are bio-degradable. They are used for various purposes; the cashew fruit is used to make alcohol, its hard shell is used in the manufacture of paints, oil and varnish. The seed coat is an integral component of the gutkha and tobacco industries.

A research station at Ullal, in the South Kanara region, under the University of Agricultural Sciences, tests cashew oil and juice from the various plantations. The marketing channel in the state is the Cashew Merchants Association, which also promotes women welfare and employment