Cashew

Area, production and productivity

According to FAO statistics, India has the largest area under cashew. Of the total world area of 3098 thousand hectares under cashew in 2005, approximately 24% is reported to be in India. Brazil, the native land of cashew accounted for only 22.24% of the area. In India, it is grown in Kerala, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra along the west coast and Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal along the east coast. To a limited extent it is being cultivated in Chattisgarh, North Eastern States (Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

India is the third largest producer of cashew in the world. India's share in world production is 20 per cent with a production of 5.26 lakh MT in 2005. Area under the crop in Kerala, has been declining steadily from 1.25 lakh ha. in 1988-89 to 0.70 lakh ha. in 2006-07 and the production declined from 1.08 lakh MT to 0.62 lakh MT during the period. The area covered under cashew, has been steadily declining during the last two decades. The decline in area from 1980-81 to 2006-07 was to the tune of 70809 ha. Productivity of the crop, which was around 900 kg. per ha. during late eighties has also started declining from 1995-96 onwards, reaching 562 kg. per ha. during 1998-99 and thereafter hovering around 740 kg. In 2006-07, it increased to 875 Kg/ha.

Source: FAOSTAT | © FAO Statistics Division 2006 | 13 November 2006

The share of Kerala in the area under cashew in the country has come down from 23 per cent in 1987-88 to 9.4 percent in 2005-06 and the corresponding decline in share of production from 31 per cent to 10.05 per cent. Area and production are increasing steadily in other producing states in the country. Maharashtra is the leading producer with 31.77 percent share in production during 2006-07, whose share was only 10 per cent in 1990-91. During 2003, India produced 460 thousand tonnes of cashewnuts from about 730 thousand ha of which approximately 12 % was from Kerala state.  The area, production and productivity of cashew from the state of Kerala during 2000-01 to 2004-05 are presented below.

Source: Statistics for Planning 2001; Economic Review 2005, 2007

Last updated: 21-05-2008