Tirumala Tirupati temple rejects first load of Kerala cashews

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Tirupati, Andhra Pradesh, rejected the first lot of cashew from Capex.It is learnt that the temple authorities rejected the lot as it contained substandard cashew and undesirable cashew dust that affects the quality of laddu produced at the temple. The 5-tonne load was sent from the state on October 3 in a celebrated event in the presence of Cashew Minister J Mercykkutty Amma.

The society had purchased the cashew kernels at the rate of `669 per kg. Capex MD, S Anil Kumar was unavailable for comment.

However, the cashew sent by the Kerala State Cashew Corporation (KSCDC) has been accepted by the temple authorities. It has also expressed interest in purchasing some 100 tonnes of cashew from the corporation. The second consignment of 10 tonnes will be sent next week.