Tamarind - production & trade

Tamarind has been described as one of the common and most important trees of India, where it is used widely in cooking. India is the world's top producer, exporting several thousands of tonnes of seed, seed powder and fruit pulp each year. Tamarind trees are often grown in gardens and along roadsides and are cultivated commercially in plantations. CultivationIndia is the only producer of tamarind on a commercial scale. A large part of India's production of tamarind is exported to West Asia, Europe and America, where it is used for food specialties like Worcestershire sauce. It is used extensively in Asian cooking and is often used to make juices, soups, chutneys and other savoury dishes.

The many tamarind cultivars are divided into two basic categories: sweet and sour. India mainly grows sour cultivars in orchard-like plantations. These are initially set up by planting seedlings out into fields. The trees grow very slowly and take a long time to mature. After perhaps 13 years, young trees begin to bear seed pods during the summer which may take about 8 months to ripen. The trees are long-lasting and may continue to produce fruits each season for up to 60 years.