Introduction
India is the world’s largest
cashew producer and
exporter,
producing an estimated 385,000 metric tons of seeds on more than 500,000
hectares in 1994. India is the leading
cashew supplier to the
United States, all of the major European markets, the Middle East,
Russia, Eastern Europe, Australia and Japan.
Production area
Within India, the States of Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, Goa, Tamil Nadu as well as in the Northeast are top cashew
cultivators.
Growth promotional activities
Last year government’s monopoly granting policy on purchasing
seeds in Kerela State was discontinued. India set new cashew export
records each year from 1992 to 1994, peaking in marketing year April
1994 to March 1995 with 76,900 metric tons worth more than US$400
million. In fact, according to the Indian Cashew Export Promotion
Council, cashews were India’s largest agricultural foreign exchange
earner during 1994-1995.
Types
Varieties of cashew grown in India are Vengurla 1, Vengurla 2, Vengurla
3, Vengurla 4, Vengurla 5, Vengurla 6, Bhubaneshwar, Kanaka and Dhana.
