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RESTORED TO ITS OLD GLORY
Long before the development of any cuisine-in fact, before farming or civilization itself began - man gathered nuts for food. As cultures evolved, so did food habits. Dietary changes in the 20th century led to a gradual shift from many excellent plant foods - like nuts - towards animal - based foods are rich in protein. While animal-based foods are rich in protein, they are also high in saturated fat which is not good for the heart.
But the world's romance with non-vegetarian foods lost much of its ardour as the century edged towards a close. Today, we are rediscovering the nutritional value of plant foods. So nuts are back. And cashew with them.
IMPRESSIVE EXPORT GROWTH
Whether looked at as a food by itself, or as a culinary ingredient, cashew today is an international celebrity. With food trends changing with a marked nutritional orientation worldwide, the production and consumption has steadily grown over the years. This trend should continue into the future - if anything, more dramatically.
THE WORLD IS NUTS ABOUT INDIAN CASHEW
Though regular exports commenced only in 1928, small quantities of processed cashew kernels were shipped from Kochi to USA as early as 1905. Since then, Indian cashew has been a favorite table nut in USA. Slowly but surely, this trend spilled over to other consuming markets as well.
Today, India dominates the world cashew market. Over 685,000 hectares are under cashew cultivation here. With an average annual export worth US$ 564 million, India meets two thirds of world demand for cashew.
USA is the largest buyer of Indian cashews, followed by EU, Japan, Australia, Canada, Russia, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Middle East.
WELCOME TO THE CASHEW COUNTRY
In today's globalised environment, buying and selling cannot be perceived in isolation. They form a symbiotic activity, one depending on the other, complementing and stimulating one another. Every time a product is brought or sold, a two-way relationship is born. Only by forging such relationships can long-term sustainable growth be realised.
What's more, growing consumer expectations will make global competition take a sharper edge. Which, in turn, will make it imperative for a better understanding and closer cooperation between producers and importers.
In this context, the forthcoming World Cashew Congress assumes enormous significance. It will bring face-to-face importers, exporters and every other constituent of the world cashew community, so that we can throw around innovative ideas, exchange views and get to know each other better.
So, Welcome to India - The Cashew Country!!
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