It’s record-breaking sales streak during Onam and the sudden surge in demand has prompted the Kerala State Cashew Development Corporation (KSCDC) to seek Geographical Indication (GI) tag for Kerala cashew. Since mechanised processing has become too common in many places, getting the tag for drum-roasted cashew processed in the traditional method will mark its exclusivity.
“We have been producing high quality nuts in various grades that are superior to similar stuff available on market. The quality of our product is unbeatable and we are planning to apply for GI tag as part of the efforts to promote the brand,” KSCDC chairman S.Jayamohan told The Hindu. After achieving the best-ever sales since its inception this Onam, the corporation is planning to approach the governments of other States to include the product in their Deepavali kits. “During the Sabarimala season our Pampa outlet had generated a revenue of ₹30 lakh in five days and currently the corporation is getting a lot of online orders from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. After sampling our products, customers usually continue to buy from us,” he says. Government-run factories functioning under the KSCDC and Kerala State Cashew Workers Apex Industrial Cooperative Society (Capex) had registered record sales in September with various outlets selling products worth ₹20 crore. They had earlier supplied around 87 lakh sachets to be incorporated into Onam kits. According to officials, KSCDC’s 30 factories and 102 major outlets in Kerala witnessed a huge rush during the period while their mobile marketing unit also did good business.
“Apart from cashew nuts, 18 value-added products including cashew vita, jam, soup, soda and powder were sold in large quantities. Our mobile unit launched during Onam continues to do brisk business.”
Recently the KSCDC had entered into a contract with the Kerala State Cooperative Consumer’s Federation and Supplyco to sell its products through their marketing outlets. After the industry was badly hit by the dip in the export volume and shortage of raw material imported from cashew cultivating countries, the KSCDC and Capex had focussed on the domestic market to keep the industry afloat.
