After India missed an opportunity that Vietnam took in 2002 by modernizing its cashew processing units to the international level, the government’s agri export promotion body APEDA was tasked two months back to bring back the top position for the country in global trade and it has chalked out an action plan to expand the growing areas as well as connect them with the global market.
APEDA will be facilitating the export of over 30 tonnes of cashew nuts to Qatar and Malaysia from Tamil Nadu and from Kerala to the US on November 23, which is also World Cashew Day. Next month, 2 tonnes from Odisha will be shipped to Bangladesh by road.
There was a stay on the 2020 order of the government transferring the export promotion activities of cashew to APEDA from the Kerala Based Cashew Export Promotion Council (CEPC).
India, the second largest exporter of cashew products in the world, is looking at new geographies such as Japan, the European Union, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia to develop new export markets.
Due its use in the cosmetics and health industry, India can tap new markets like South Korea and Australia with whom we are looking at ‘organic equivalence’ agreements. We have already signed such an agreement for the promotion of exports.
The Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPC) was established by the Government of India in the year 1955, with the active cooperation of the cashew industry with the object of promoting exports of cashew kernels and cashew nutshell liquid from India. It is under the administrative control of Ministry of commerce and industry.
