ABSTRACT
Abstract ................................................................................................... 86 6.1 Introduction .................................................................................... 86 6.2 Climatic Suitability of Cashew Cultivation ................................... 88 6.3 Impact of Climate Change on Cashew ........................................... 91 6.4 Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies to Minimize the
Adverse Effects of Climate Change ............................................. 100 6.5 Future Researchable Issues .......................................................... 102 Keywords .............................................................................................. 103 References ............................................................................................. 103
century mainly for the purpose of soil and water conservation. Cashew, after its introduction to India five centuries back has naturalized well to the Indian climatic conditions and is presently grown in an area of about 9.91 lakh hectares with a production of 6.92 lakh tons of raw nuts per annum. The current productivity of cashew in the country is of 749 kg/ha. Low productivity of cashew in India is a matter of concern. The details of area, production and productivity of cashew is given in Table 6.1 (DCCD, 2012). Nigeria, India, Ivory Coast, Vietnam and Indonesia are leading cashew producing countries in the world (2010). In India, it is grown mainly in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala along the west coast and Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal along the east coast. It is also grown to a limited extent in nontraditional areas such as Bastar region of Chattisgarh and Kolar (Plains) region of Karnataka, Gujarat, Jharkhand and in North Eastern Hilly region. India exports 0.926 lakh tons of cashew kernels per annum to over 65 countries and is a prominent trader for over a century. The major countries that import Indian cashew are United States of America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Russia, Germany, Canada and Greece. Owing to its high nutritional value and increasing affordability by the consumers, demand for cashew continues to increase globally as well as domestically.
