Skip to content Skip to navigation

Cashew nut cartel!

By AT News |

After egg, betel leaf, fish and meat, now it’s the cartel of cashew nuts that makes the fruit more dearer for common people these days.

Some sensational revelations have come out during the investigation by the Assam Times.

A part of the cartel has been remaining active in Fancy Bazar area where Shanti Lal, Manoj Moore and Sunil Bothra have already stopped the rush of cashew nuts from outside. Cashew nuts procured from Mancachar are available in the Guwahati markets these days.

The trio have been running this cartel under the patronage of a powerful circle of people in Dispur which is why, these people have been maintaining a studied silence on the allegations of this dirty deal in cashew nuts.

Its strange to note. Raw cashew nut is available at Rs 65 per 2 KG while the price of a dressed cashew nut is available at Rs 480 per kg (If 2 kg raw cashew nut are required to get 1 KG of dressed cashew nut).

The raw cashew nuts procured from Garo hills are processed in Mancachar by the industries run by Dilip Bothra and Mahesh Agarwalla.

The workers are allegedly underpaid where they get Rs 50 for processing cashew nut per kilo in addition to Rs 20 for electricity charge.

With 20 percent benefit for the traders, the cashew nuts should have been available at a price not more than Rs 250.

But the cashew nut price stands at Rs 480 per KG only because of the cartel where Mancachar MLA Javed Islam mires in controversy.

According to allegation, the dissident MLA has been patronizing the entire cartel of cashew nuts with tacit support from a section of officials from the Dhubri administration.  

Comments

Qasim's picture

Submitted by Qasim on Sat, 07/02/2015 - 16:09
It take about 4 kg of raw cashew to get 1 kg of the processed cashew nut which is being sold in the market. The investment in raw material is high, and also the rate of raw cashew reaches to about 80-100 kg during the off season. Hence, the prices are high.

Pages

Add new comment

Other Contents by Author

Six Countries Impose Travel Ban to Assam and Northeast India

In a significant development, six developed countries have imposed travel restrictions on Assam and Northeast India, citing concerns over the region's law and order situation. The countries include the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Switzerland. This alarming information was shared by Assam's Tourism Minister, Ranjit Kumar Das, in response to a query by Congress MLA Rekibuddin Ahmed during the Assam Legislative Assembly session on Tuesday. According to the Minister, the decision to impose the ban is primarily due to concerns over the law and order situation in the region. However, he assured that efforts are underway, in coordination with the...

Journalist Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar Granted Bail After Controversial Arrest

Senior journalist Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar was granted bail on Wednesday after being arrested under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Chief Judicial Magistrate (Kamrup) granted the bail, and Mazumdar is expected to be released on Thursday after furnishing the required bonds. Mazumdar was detained late on March 25 after questioning Assam Cooperative Apex Bank’s Managing Director, Dambaru Saikia, during a protest against alleged financial irregularities. His arrest, based on allegations of abusing a security guard, sparked widespread condemnation, with media organizations and opposition parties accusing the BJP-led government of suppressing dissent. Journalists staged...

Congress Accuses Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma of Undermining Democracy, Calls for Public Resistance

The Congress party has alleged that an "undeclared emergency" is prevailing in Assam under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's government. Speaking at a press conference at Rajiv Bhavan in Guwahati, AICC Secretary in charge of Assam, Manoj Chauhan, accused the Chief Minister of suppressing constitutional rights and using police forces to target journalists, MPs, and opposition leaders. Chauhan stated that the Congress party will launch a public movement against the oppression and alleged that Sarma has been exerting pressure on all sections of society. “In his obsession with power, the Chief Minister is violating basic rights. The more he tries to suppress dissent, the stronger the...

Journalist Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar Arrested in Guwahati, Sparks Outrage

The Assam Police have arrested senior digital media journalist Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar in Guwahati’s Panbazar, triggering widespread criticism. Allegations suggest that he was arrested after attempting to question Assam Co-operative Apex Bank’s Managing Director Dambaru Saikia regarding a multi-crore recruitment scam. Sequence of Events: The National Youth Power, a youth wing associated with the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP),** was protesting against the alleged scam in the bank. Journalist Dilwar Hussain Mazumdar arrived at the bank premises to cover the protest. He attempted to question the bank’s Managing Director about the scam. Later, the police summoned him to the...

Assam Joins Global Earth Hour Movement, Highlights Water Conservation Efforts

Assam actively participated in Earth Hour 2025 on Saturday, March 22, by switching off non-essential lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., aligning with the global movement for environmental awareness. The event, organized by WWF-India in collaboration with local partners, also emphasized the importance of water conservation under the theme #BeWaterWise, marking the convergence of Earth Hour with World Water Day. Prominent landmarks across the state, including the Assam Legislative Assembly, Gauhati High Court, Chief Minister’s Secretariat in Dibrugarh, and historical sites like Rang Ghar, Kareng Ghar, and Charaideo Maidam, participated in the symbolic switch-off. In Guwahati, notable...

Northeast Faces Water Crisis: NEIWT Calls for Urgent Action on Climate Resilience

The rivers of Northeast India are changing, and not for the better. Once lifelines of the region, they are now at risk due to glacial retreat, erratic rainfall and intensifying floods. On World Water Day 2025, the North-East India Water Talks, or NEIWT, sounded the alarm, submitting a memorandum to key policymakers, including the governor of Manipur, the chief minister of Tripura and water resources ministers from all Northeastern states. Their message was clear: Act now, or the region faces a dire water crisis. Melting Glaciers a Looming Threat This year’s theme, “Glacier Preservation,” reflects a sobering reality—Himalayan glaciers are disappearing. Scientists warn that by 2050,...

Surojit Academy Celebrates World Puppetry and Mime Day

Surojit Academy, located on the Assam Engineering College campus, celebrated World Puppetry Day on March 21 and World Mime Day on the same occasion, though it is officially observed on March 22. This year’s theme for World Puppetry Day was “Robots, Artificial Intelligence, and the Dreams of Puppets.” The event featured a speech by Binita Devi, recipient of the Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar and director of Surojit Academy, on the role of artificial intelligence in puppetry. Abani Sharma, a leading puppeteer from Assam who has performed in India and Spain, was felicitated at the event. Dr. Kuldeep Patgiri, another Ustad Bismillah Khan Yuva Puraskar awardee, attended as a distinguished...

Guwahati: Sculptor Sankar Kalita from Paikana Village Missing for Over a Month After Traveling to Mumbai

Renowned sculptor Sankar Kalita from Paikana village near Baihata Chariali in Kamrup district, who had established himself in Guwahati, has been missing for over a month and a half, causing concern in the area. Kalita, who moved to Guwahati around 30 years ago to pursue sculpting, has been involved in creating numerous sculptures across Guwahati and various parts of Assam. Recently, he had set up his own sculpting studio in Vetapara, Guwahati. However, in a mysterious turn of events, he traveled to Mumbai in late December for business-related work and has not returned since. According to family members, Kalita had planned to return home during Magh Bihu but later informed them that he...

64 Polytechnic Lecturers Terminated After 23-Day Hunger Strike for Job Regularization

In a controversial move, the Assam government has terminated 64 lecturers from polytechnic institutes who were protesting for the regularization of their jobs. These lecturers had been on a hunger strike for 23 days, demanding that their temporary positions be made permanent. They were initially appointed during the tenure of Himanta Biswa Sarma as the Education Minister. The lecturers, who have been working as founder faculty members in polytechnics for eight years, had come to Guwahati during the budget session to appeal to the government regarding their demands. However, the government’s refusal to regularize their jobs forced them to stage a protest under the open sky. Their...

Massive Land Acquisition in Karbi Anglong Sparks Protests Among Indigenous Communities

In the hilly district of Karbi Anglong, Assam, anxiety looms large among the indigenous communities as the state government plans to acquire 18,000 bighas of land for a 1,000-megawatt solar power project. This proposed project threatens to displace nearly 20,000 Karbi, Naga, and tribal residents from 23 villages in the Khatkhati-Longkathar area. For over two centuries, these indigenous communities have lived on this land, cultivating crops and sustaining their livelihoods through agriculture. Assam’s Rajya Sabha MP, Ajit Kumar Bhuyan, raised the issue in the Upper House, highlighting that the government is proceeding with the land acquisition without consulting the local communities,...