New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) The commerce ministry's arm APEDA on Friday said they are exploring new export markets for cashew like Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Spain, Kuwait, Qatar, and the US.

Cashew nut shipments have been sent to Bangladesh, Qatar, Malaysia and the US to mark National Cashew Day on November 23, it said.

Bangladesh will receive its first-ever shipment of Cashew nuts from Odisha, it added.

After Cote d'Ivoire, India is the second-largest producer and exporter of these nuts, with a share of more than 15 per cent, followed by Vietnam.

India's top export destinations are the UAE, the Netherlands, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.

Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the major cashew-producing states in India.

India primarily exports cashew kernels with small quantities of cashew nutshell liquid and cardanol.

'With the UAE and the Netherlands remaining as the top export destinations for cashew nuts, APEDA is working towards exploring new markets for cashew in the international markets of Japan, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Spain, Kuwait, Qatar, the US and European countries,' it said.

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Development Authority (APEDA) Chairman Abhishek Dev said the demand for cashew products has been on the rise and the authority has been engaging with the stakeholders of the sector to address the issues and challenges of the industry.

'In the future, APEDA may intervene in the automation of the cashew industry. Training of professionals, registration of cashew processing units, and a traceability system will be formulated for cashew, replicating peanuts,' it added. PTI RR RR BAL BAL