The onset of summers is usually a happy and busy time for the cashew farming community in Goa, but this year things don't look so rosy for the growers. The extended monsoons and the resultant cold climate have not been very favourable to standing crops owing to which the expected yield would be much below par and quality too seems to be taking a hit. Many of the trees have not bloomed due to delayed winter. Later, incidents of fog resulted in the blooms shrivelling which was a deterrent to nut formation. Constant climate changes triggered by global warming and lack of agricultural activity due to Covid have played havoc with crop yields worldwide but India, the largest producer of cashew has been especially impacted. Hopefully the farmers should be able to atleast recoup their investments if not book profits.
Vinay Dwivedi, Benaulim
