Record cashew exports last fiscal

KOCHI, APRIL 25: 

Cashew exports rose to a record high last fiscal in volume and value compared with the previous fiscal.

Total shipments during 2013-14 increased by over 13 per cent to 1,13,620 tonnes from 1,00,105 tonnes. Total value realisation was ₹4,975.96 crore ( ₹4,046.23 crore) despite an increase in the average unit value to ₹439.34/kg, according to Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPCI).

“Performance in all the segments of exports, including cashew nut shell liquid, roasted and salted cashew kernel showed an upsurge as market conditions were favourable,” K Sasi Varma, Executive Director and Secretary, CEPCI, told Business Line.

Export of cashew nut shell liquid also rose during last fiscal to 9,226 tonnes valued at ₹37.26 crore from 9,192 tonnes valued at ₹29.84 crore during April-March 2012-13, he said.

Processing units

Varma said that the cashew processing facility in the country could process over two million tonnes of raw nuts but the availability is limited, making up some one-third of the requirement.

Therefore, the processing-exporting industry has to depend on imported raw nuts for decades. Unfavourable exchange rate, coupled with high (non-parity) prices, has caused a drop in imports of raw nuts which is likely to affect exports later on, Varma said.

Imports of raw nuts decreased during 2013-14 to 7,58,111 tonnes valued at ₹4,457.72 crore from 8,92,365 tonnes valued at ₹5,331.74 crore, he said.

Low yields

Though raw cashew nut production in India has more than doubled in the last two decades, poor yield is still a cause for concern compared to competitors such as Vietnam.

The area under the crop has increased to over 10 lakh hectares in 2013-14 from around 9.8 lakh hectares in 2012-13.

The production last fiscal is estimated at around 7.4 lakh tonnes against 7.3 lakh tonnes the previous financial year, according to official sources.

Viet statistics

Vietnam, of late, has emerged as the top producer of the commodity displacing India.

Total raw cashew production in Vietnam in 1993 was 1.86 lakh tonnes from 69,100 hectares. It shot up to 12.73 lakh tonnes from a total area of 3.31 lakh hectares in 2011, according to the latest FAO statistics.

The yield from a hectare is currently 3.8 tonnes in Vietnam against India’s 772 kg.

- The Hindu