Vietnam and India, two of the world's three biggest cashew exporters, have established an alliance to promote global cashew consumption, local newspaper Vietnam Investment Reviews reported Monday.

The alliance between the Vietnam Cashew Association and the Cashew Export Promotion Council of India will promote indirect consumption of cashew nuts, such as ingredient in candies, baked confectionaries, and other foodstuffs.

The two agencies have also invited the Association of the Cashew Producers of Brazil, the third leading cashew producer, to join the alliance by April 30.

Through the alliance, the three countries will help increase cashew consumption in the world, and promote the cashew sector, Chairman of the Vietnam Cashew Association Pham Van Bien said, noting that they will also work to set up a system for regular information exchanges among the associations.

Vietnam shipped abroad 127,000 tons of cashew nuts valued at 505 million U.S. dollars in 2006, posting respective year-on-year rises of 16.5 percent and 0.6 percent.

The country, which had 350,000 hectares of cashew trees in 2005, plans to increase the cashew acreage to 450,000 hectares by 2010.

Source: Xinhua