First cashew processing course launched at Orissa ITI

Berhampur (Orissa), Nov 16 (PTI) Billed as the first of its kind, a new course on cashew processing has been launched at the government Industrial Training Institute here.
The three-month certificate course will train students on various aspects of cashew processing, including machine maintenance and operation, official sources said today.
The course will be conducted on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis and the State Cashew Processors Association (SCPA) will provide the technical know-how.
Access Development Services, a national-level agency, will coordinate the course, which has been approved by the state industries department.
Rajat Kumar Panigrahi, the principal of the institute, said the innovative course will help to meet the demand for skilled manpower in the cashew industry.
A number of skilled technicians are required by the cashew industry in India, as well as African countries like Ghana and Mozambique, to process cashews, said SCPA President Rajendra Sabot.
Cashew cultivation is carried out over an area of around 8.68 lakh hectares in the country, with production aggregating to 6.65 lakh tonnes. Around five lakh people, most of them women in rural areas, are engaged in both processing and cultivation of the nut.
Orissa accounts for about 13.5 per cent of the country''s total cashew production, producing around 90,000 metric tones of the nut over an area of about 1.31 lakh hectares. Around 250 cashew units with a processing capacity 75,000 metric tonnes per annum are operational in the state, official sources said.