Cashew consumption, processing to double in two decades, says all-India body
World cashew crop is expected to cross 15 mt by 2045 from the present 6 mt, says All India Cashew Association President.
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MUSTAFAH KK
India’s cashew consumption and processing are likely to double by 2045 considering the emerging trends in cashew consumption.
Speaking on ‘Future of cashew processing’ at the 100-year celebration of cashew processing in Mangaluru – ‘Kaju Centennial Summit 2025’ – on Saturday, Bola Rahul Kamath, President of All India Cashew Association (AICA), said Indian cashew consumption is expected to more than double by 2045. Considering this, India will need to process at least 4 mt from the existing 2 mt just to meet the domestic demand, he said.
Stating that world cashew crop is expected to cross 15 mt by 2045 from the present 6 mt, he said Africa, India, Vietnam and other origins will have sufficient cashew to process. Concepts such as sustainability, traceability and deforestation will become increasingly relevant over the next two decades.
New ways of utilisation
Mentioning that no products will replace cashew, he said cashew industry will continue to thrive in the coming years also. Stressing the need to focus on mechanisation, he said mechanised factories with larger capacities could dominate the cashew industry, and efficiency of machines will keep improving.
He said that there would be lot of new ways of using cashews, especially as ingredients, and new ways of marketing and distribution of cashews would emerge.
Allaying fears that AI (artificial intelligence) could replace cashew processing, he said it can help the industry to improve efficiency.
Highlighting the benefits of cashew processing in places of origins like East and West Africa and Cambodia, he said crop expansion will be much faster in those origins as the land costs there are significantly lower. The governments there will continue to support cashew processing industries in those origins.
Woes of single origin processing
However, single origin processing, like those from countries in East and West Africa, involves much bigger costs in terms of interest and deterioration of materials such as raw cashew nuts. Processing units that focus on cashews of single origin are exposed to much bigger price risks.
The advantage for cashew processing in countries such as India and Vietnam is that they can source from multiple origins. This helps bring down risks.
He said that ecosystems for the disposal of cashew products and lower grade cashews are yet to be developed in African countries, and the costs of skilled manpower and machinery maintenance are higher there. However, countries such as India have a developed product market, and have adequate skilled manpower to meet the requirements of the industry.
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Published on November 15, 2025
