Cashew buyer-seller meet at Kovalam from Sep 15-17

Mangalore, Sep 11 (UNI) The Cashew Export Promotion Council of India will organise its golden jubilee celebrations and an international three-day buyer-seller meet at Kovalam in Kerala from September 15.

Briefing newspersons here today, Council Chairman Walter D'souza said over 250 delegates, 50 of them from 20 foreign countries, would participate in the meet with the theme 'Global Buyers' Perspective on Indian Cashews'. The deliberations at the meet would be compiled as a 'Vision document for 2020' by Mr John Peterson, the single largest importer of cashews in the world from the House of Planters from the United States.

He said the meet would deliberate on aspects of cashew trade and industry, including Indian cashew production scenario, cashew markets, buyers' expectations, quality, packaging and food safety, cashew nut shell liquid, prospects and problems, trade facilitation and communication and promising markets. It was expected to generate additional exports of about Rs 460 crore, he added.

The meet would be inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industries Jairam Ramesh and the valedictory address would be delivered by Union Minister Oscar Fernandes, he added.

Mr D'souza said that in the post-golden jubilee era, the Council would set itself an export target of Rs 5,000 crore, coupled with employment generation of ten lakh to be achieved before 2015. This could be possible by increasing the domestic crop size to about 12.50 lakh MT in a phased manner. In response to the Council's proposal, the Directorate of Cashewnut and Cocoa Development, under the Union Agriculture Ministry, had chalked out definite plans to achieve the crop size.

He said that to commemorate the golden jubilee year, a new R and D centre at the cost of Rs 6.25 crore was being built at Kollam in Kerala, which was expected to be ready by June 2007.

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