India's cashew industry faces challenges from illegal imports

Illegal cashew imports are flooding the Indian market, causing immense stress to the domestic processing sector and making it economically unviable. The All India Cashew Association has urged the Union Commerce Ministry to intervene due to large-scale illegal imports from Vietnam and African countries, often misdeclared as animal feed or husk. This surge threatens the livelihood of over 10 lakh women workers and damages the reputation of Indian cashew kernels, prompting calls for stricter verification and fair trade practices.