Of this, Rs 76.90 crore would be used by states and Union Territories for various programmes, while Rs 3.1 crore had been earmarked for implementing programmes by the Directorate of Cashew and Cocoa Development (DCCD), according to DCCD sources.

The programmes for execution would lay special emphasis on giving assistance for development of clonal plantation. Growth in new areas would be possible in private holdings in traditional and non-traditional areas, especially in the north-eastern region, the sources said.

For new plantation development and maintenance of previous year's plantations, Rs 51.80 crore would be allocated, while Rs 16.54 crore had been earmarked to replant old cashew gardens.

The sources said Rs 8.56 crore would be spent on crop protection measures andinfrastructure in states. Programmes to be implemented included setting up of regional nurseries, demonstration plots and farmers training, they said. The centre had also conveyed sanctions to continue programmes in the Eighth Plan at an outlay of Rs 16 crore during 1997-98, they said.

Though the success of various programmes in the Eighth Plan was appreciable in almost all states, certain drawbacks in implementation had been found, sources said, adding that prior to execution, the unspent balance position was almost negligible with all implementing agencies.

Against the approved outlay of Rs 47.853 crore for the Eighth Plan, the total administrative sanction given was for Rs 58.01 crore. Against this, Rs 54.21 crore was released, whereas total expenditure reported stood at Rs 46.42 crore, leaving an unspent balance of Rs 7.39 crore, the sources said.

This had resulted in slowing down the progress towards achieving the desired results, the sources said, adding that production of raw cashewnuts was farbelow the requirement of the processing sector. Production of raw cashewnut was only 4.3 lakh tonnes from 6.59 lakh hectares under this crop, hardly 50 per cent of the demand put forth by the industry.

The average growth rate of kernel requirements for export and internal consumption was around 13 per cent per annum, the sources said. The demand by the year 2000 would be around one million tonnes of raw cashew nuts, nearly 2.5 times of the present production. Steps had to be taken for augmenting production to this level, failing which two lakh tonnes of raw nuts would have to be imported, draining 50 per cent of export earnings, which would continue, according to the sources.