Indians should make efforts to stop the wastage of cashew apples and explore their potential for producing value-added products, according to Shree Padre, who has been working to popularise the value-added possibilities of cashew apples.

Speaking on the side lines of a cashew apple festival in Mangaluru on Friday, Padre said India has remained far behind in exploring the potential of value-added products from cashew apple nearly eight decades after independence.

Giving the example of Brazil, he said farmers in that country earn revenue from cashew apples also, as nearly 25 per cent of cashew apples is used for the preparation of value-added products.

Learn from Brazil

Cashew apple serves the needs of both B2B and B2C customers in that country, and cashew apple pomace is used in the preparation of vegan meat. India has many things to learn from Brazil on cashew apple value addition, he said.

Though India produces around 60 lakh tonne of cashew apple every year, a major chunk of cashew apples is wasted. In Goa, it is used for the preparation of an alcoholic beverage.

Use in Ayurveda

Urging the need to explore the potential of non-alcoholic juice from cashew apples, he said zero-additive cashew apple juice can be prepared by removing tannin from the fruit through a simple method. Cashew apple juice is rich in vitamin C and contains anti-oxidants.

Giving an example of an enterprise from Maharashtra, he said cashew apple is used in the preparation of some Ayurvedic medicines.

Though the government organisations such as Kerala Agricultural University and Directorate of Cashew Research have come out with more than 50 value-added products from cashew apple, more efforts will have to be made to popularise them.

This year, around 50-60 individuals from different parts of the country have come forward to explore the potential of cashew apples. A farmer couple from Kasaragod district of Kerala have begun the preparation of cashew apple pulp for the domestic market. He said cashew apple pulp would be a game changer in the years to come.

The Neera example

Recalling his interactions with scientists on value-addition possibilities of cashew apple, Padre, who is also the Editor of farm journal ‘Adike Patrike’, said he gets a common answer from most of them that cashew apple is a perishable produce. The label of perishable produce should not be the reason for not exploring its potential, he said.

‘Neera’ was once considered as a perishable product. However, carton packaging of this product has helped improve its shelf life and reach wider section of consumers. He suggested that experts should explore similar methods to explore the potential of cashew apple.

Published on May 8, 2026