Indiahas the largest area under cashew and is confined mainly to the peninsularareas. It is grown in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra along the west coastand Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal along the east coast.The highest productivity is observed in Kerala and Maharashtra with over oneton per ha. India is also one of the largest cashew consuming countries in theworld.
Cashewnut cultivation is limited to coastal areas. But there is very high demand for cashewnut and its products from all parts of the country. The demand for cashew nutoutstrips production.
Thedemand for cashew nut is gradually increasing. India is leading producer, processor, consumer and exporter of cashewnuts in the world. It is one of the important agricultural commodities exportedfrom India to many countries in the world. About two third of cashew producedin the country is consumed locally. India accounts for 65 percent of totalcashew nut exports in the world and export cashew to more than 60 countries.
Theproduction potential for the product is very high. The total production of rawcashew nut in the country could be as much as 2 lakh tonnes and at 10% recoveryby weight, the production potential for CNSL is as much as 20,000 tonnes. Thereis a good scope for the export of CNSL to other countries which at present ison the decline.