Kollam no longer kernel of cashew industry
KOLLAM: Cashew is slowly disappearing from Kollam. Once the cashew capital of the world, the nut processing factories in the region which employed millions of women workers are gasping for breath due to relatively high wages and increasing import cost of raw nuts.
Of the 864 cashew factories operational in Kollam till a decade ago, over 750 have closed down. According to officials, only 95 cashew factories are operational now. Of these, many function at just 50% of their capacity. With the industry in crisis, about 2.5 lakh cashew workers have lost their jobs.
KOLLAM: Cashew is slowly disappearing from Kollam. Once the cashew capital of the world, the nut processing factories in the region which employed millions of women workers are gasping for breath due to relatively high wages and increasing import cost of raw nuts.