What the GI tag can Mean for the Cashew Industry in Goa

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why in News?
• Timeline of ISRO’s Milestones
• Future Targets Set by ISRO

Why in News?

• Building on the success of the Indian space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 Missions, the Indian PM announced two new targets for space agency ISRO.

What’s in Today’s Article?

• Why in News?
• About the Cashew Crop
• Cashew Industry in India
• Geographical Distribution of the Cashew Industry in India
• How did Cashew Come to Goa and Become a Contributor to the Economy?
• What does the GI Tag Mean for the Cashew Industry in Goa?
• Recently, Goan cashew (kernel) got the geographical indication (GI) tag.
• Goa CM hailed the recognition as a great opportunity for the cashew industry in the state and “a milestone towards Swayampurna Goa mission”.
• Cashew is an introduction from Brazil to India and is very well adapted to Indian coastal areas under hot humid conditions.
• Cashew (derived from the Portuguese name ‘caju’ or ‘kaju’ in Konkan India) is one of the most important plantation crops in India.
• Well-drained deep sandy loam soils are the best for growing cashew. In general, all soils from sandy to laterite are well suited for this crop.
• India is among the largest cashew-producing countries in the world.
• The cashew industry has large economic significance as it brings in considerable foreign exchange earnings and employs more than 10 lakh people on farms and factories in rural areas.
• The cultivation of cashew in India covers a total of 0.7 million hectares of land, and the country produces over 0.8 million tonnes (MT) annually.
• Besides the vast scale of cashew production, India is also known for pioneering cashew processing and exporting cashew kernels across the globe.
  • The cashew processing industry was earlier concentrated in Kollam (Kerala), Mangalore (Karnataka), Goa, and Vettapalam (Andhra Pradesh), but now it is spread across many states of India.
• In India, cashew cultivation spread along the coastal regions of the peninsula.
• Cashew is mainly grown in states like Maharashtra, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Orissa, West Bengal, and some parts of the North-Eastern region.
• According to data published by the National Horticulture Board (NHB), Maharashtra stands first in annual cashew nut production during 2021-22 at 0.20 MT.
• In the state of Goa, it occupies the largest area among horticultural crops.
• Cashew was native to northeast Brazil in Latin America and was introduced to Goa by the Portuguese in the 16th century (1570).
• At the time of its introduction on Indian coasts, cashew was known mainly as a crop for afforestation and soil conservation.
• The first cashew factory in Goa started operations in 1926 and the first consignment of cashew kernels was exported in 1930.
• Cashew production gradually evolved from a cottage industry to a large-scale one, facilitating foreign trade because of demand, mainly in the USA.
• By 1961, the cashew processing industry accounted for about 60% of industrial production in Goa, a bulk of which was exported.
• A GI tag is conferred upon products originating from a specific geographical region, signifying unique characteristics and qualities.
• It serves as a trademark in the international market and is given by the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai.
• Goan cashew has a long and cherished heritage and this GI status helps to preserve the legacy of Goan cashew, as the traders cannot use Goa cashew logo on the packets without registration.
• The GI tag would help consumers differentiate between authentic Goan cashews and cashews sourced from outside the state, which are often marketed as ‘Goan cashews’.
• The two new targets are setting up an Indian space station by 2035 and taking the first Indian to Moon by 2040.

Timeline of ISRO’s Milestones

• Chandrayaan-3 Mission: It was successfully launched from the SDSC SHAR, India, on 14 July 2023 on a mission to demonstrate new technologies and to achieve India’s first soft landing on the moon.
• Aditya L1 Mission: It is India's first space-based observatory to study the Sun. It was successfully launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre today i.e., on 2 September, 2023.

Future Targets Set by ISRO

• Gaganyaan Mission/ India’s human space flight programme: A high-level meeting was chaired by the Indian PM to assess the progress of Gaganyaan Mission, under which the first test vehicle is slated to fly on October 21.
  • Many technologies such as the human-rated launch vehicle, crew escape system, space suit, and the system to maintain the environment inside the crew module are being developed for the first time for the Gaganyaan mission.
• Bharatiya Antariksha Station (Indian Space Station): The PM directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up Indian Space Station by 2035.
  • The first indication of a sustained human programme and an eventual space station came in 2019 from the then ISRO chief K Sivan.
  • He said the Indian space station is likely to be much smaller, built by combining a couple of modules similar to the current crew module, weighing only 20 tonnes (ISS - 450 tonnes and Chinese Tiangong Space Station - 100 tonnes).
• Sending first Indian to the Moon by 2040: The Department of Space has been tasked with developing a roadmap for Moon exploration, including a series of Chandrayaan missions. The next Chandrayaan mission is likely to bring back Moon samples.
• Preparations for a Venus mission: The current ISRO chief S Somanath recently stated that it has already been configured.
  • While he did not provide details of the scientific experiments on the mission, a 2019 proposal had said that there would be 12 payloads, including a thermal camera, mass spectrometer and a cloud-monitoring camera.
• Other targets: In addition, ISRO will also work on a next generation launch vehicle, a new launch pad, and human-centric laboratories and technologies.

Q1) What are the benefits of space exploration in India?

According to the ISRO, space research has numerous benefits, such as telecommunications, weather forecasting, GPS, and detecting water bodies and minerals. Additionally, even obscure research by ISRO can lead to useful products or processes.

Q2) What does a space station do?

A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time and is therefore a type of space habitat. An orbital station or an orbital space station is an artificial satellite.

Source: PM Modi spells out ISRO goals: Space station by 2035, Indian on Moon by 2040