INITIATIVES OF CASHEW DEVELOPMENT IN INDIA

Cashew (Anacardium occidentale L.) belongs to the family Anacardiaceae, considered to be native of Brazil and is now found in many tropical areas. Cashew is grown in India, Brazil, Vietnam, Tanzania, Mozambique, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other tropical Asian and African countries. Presently, it is grown in more than 28 countries in the world. The major cashew producing states in India are Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andra Pradesh, Orissa, Goa and West Bengal and interior tracts of Chattisgarh, A&N Islands, Gujarath, Jharkhand and North Eastern regions. At present in India, among the various agri-horticultural commodities involved in the global trade, cashew has attained a prominent place by providing significant contribution to Indian exchequer ranking among the ten top agriculture exports contributing nearly 0.35% of the total export earnings of the country. Cashew occupies an area of 9.45 lakh ha with production of 6.53 lakh MT of raw nut as on 2010-11 with an average productivity of 720 kg/ha. The detailed Indian and global scenario on area, production and productivity, export and import, cashew processing, development initiatives, constraints and opportunities in cashew production will be presented in this paper.