New Delhi, Nov 24 (IANS): The Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority (APEDA), an organisation under the Ministry of Commerce, played an instrumental role in flagging off cashew nut shipments to the US, Bangladesh, Qatar and Malaysia to mark National Cashew Day on November 23.

Bangladesh will be receiving its first-ever shipment of cashew nuts all the way from Odisha.

After Cote d'Ivoire, India is the second largest producer and exporter of cashew nuts with a share of more than 15 per cent, followed by Vietnam.

India's top export destinations are the UAE, the Netherlands, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the major Cashew producing states in India. India primarily exports Cashew Kernels with small quantities of Cashew Nut Shell Liquid and Cardanol.

With the UAE and the Netherlands remaining as the top export destinations for Indian Cashew Nuts, APEDA is working towards exploring new markets for cashew in the international markets of Japan, Saudi Arabia, UK, Spain, Kuwait, Qatar, the US and European countries.

APEDA chairman Abhishek Dev said the demand for cashew products has been on the rise, and to see the industry evolve and thrive is a heartening moment. The growth is a testament to the hard work of the farmers, processors, and exporters.

In the future, APEDA may intervene in the automation of the cashew industry. Training of professionals, registration of cashew processing units, and a traceability system will be formulated for cashew, replicating peanuts, he added.

APEDA jointly with its Regional Offices organised programmes to celebrate the National Cashew Day in seven states in collaboration with the Cashew Association, Exporters and Stakeholders. The event included a diverse range of activities such as interaction sessions with the stakeholder of Cashew, Platform for Networking, Knowledge Sharing, and discussion on industry trends and challenges faced in the sector.