Directorate of Cashew Research issues advisory to farmers

Mangaluru, April 6

The Directorate of Cashew Research (DCR) at Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district has issued advisories on cashew nut collection and nursery operations during the lockdown period.

For collection of cashew nuts and cashew apples, the DCR advisory said that only healthy persons should be engaged after reasonable enquiry about his / her exposure to Covid-19 to avoid him / her acting as carrier of the virus and spreading the disease.

It urged the cashew growers to wash the collected nutswith water, dry them in open sunlight for three-four days, and finally to store the same in gunny bags in well-ventilated dry rooms for sale at a later stage.

At least four to five feet spacing should be maintained between the persons picking the cashew nuts.

Regarding nursery operations, the advisory said operations such as bag filling and sowing of seeds for raising root stocks can be initiated while observing all necessary precautions against corona infestation.

Pruning can be attended to in the early fruiting varieties, particularly in scion banks for production of more healthy scion sticks, it said.

The DCR has also asked the farmers to take necessary measures such as use of masks throughout the field operation and during travel to and from the field, and to wash hands thoroughly with soap at regular intervals.