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Cashew (scientific name: Anacardium occidentale) is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the cashew seed (commonly known as cashew nut) and the cashew apple. Here’s a detailed overview covering its origin, cultivation, and other aspects:

🌱 ORIGIN & HISTORY

• Native Region: Northeastern Brazil.
• Spread by: Portuguese explorers in the 16th century.
  • From Brazil, cashew was taken to India, Mozambique, and other parts of Southeast Asia and Africa.
• Main cultivation countries today: India, Vietnam, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, and Brazil.

🪴 BOTANY & DESCRIPTION

• Scientific name: Anacardium occidentale (family: Anacardiaceae).
• Tree type: Small to medium-sized evergreen tree, up to 12 meters tall.

• Parts produced

  :

  • Cashew apple

    : Fleshy, sweet, and pear-shaped; edible but perishable.

  • Cashew nut

    : Kidney-shaped seed, encased in a hard shell with caustic resin.

🌍 CLIMATIC REQUIREMENTS

• Climate: Tropical/subtropical (20–30°C), frost-free zones.

• Rainfall

  : 1000–2000 mm annually; well-distributed.

• Soil

  : Well-drained sandy or laterite soils; pH 4.5–6.5.

• Sunlight

  : Full sun is essential for good yield.

🌿 CULTIVATION PRACTICES

1. Propagation

• Usually by seeds, grafting, or air-layering.
• Grafted plants bear fruits faster (~3–4 years).

2. Planting

• Spacing: 7–10 meters apart.
• Time: Typically at the start of the rainy season.
• Fertilization: Organic compost and balanced NPK fertilizers are recommended.

3. Flowering & Fruiting

• Flowering starts in winter or early dry season.
• Fruits mature in 2–3 months.
• The cashew nut is harvested first; the apple may be processed or eaten fresh.

4. Harvesting

• Time: Around February–May (varies by region).
• Nut is separated and dried before processing.

🏭 PROCESSING

• The raw nut has a toxic shell oil (cashew nut shell liquid or CNSL), which must be removed by roasting or steaming.
• The kernel is then:
  • Dried, peeled, graded, and packed for consumption or export.

🌰 CASHEW PRODUCTS

1. Cashew Nut

   – Snack, ingredient in dishes.

2. Cashew Apple

   – Juice, vinegar, fermented into liquor.

3. Cashew Nut Shell Liquid (CNSL)

   – Used in industrial resins, varnishes, paints.

4. Cashew Butter

   – Like peanut butter, made from cashew nuts.

🌎 GLOBAL PRODUCTION LEADERS (2020s data)

💡 INTERESTING FACTS

• Cashews are not true nuts, botanically—they are seeds.
• The shell oil is highly caustic and used in brake linings and insecticides.
• The cashew apple, although often discarded, is rich in vitamin C.