Important Plantation Crops

Important Plantation Crops

Oil Yielding Crops Coconut, Oil Palm, Palmyrah
Masticatory Arecanut, Betelvine
Beverage Crops Tea, Coffee, Cocoa
Nut Crops Cashewnut
Industrial Crop Rubber

Status of plantation Crops in India

Area and Distribution

  • Plantation crops have limited geographical distribution and in the world it is largely grown between 20 degree North and 20 degree South of equator.

Table 1 : Area and Production of Plantation Crops in India (2009-11)

States/Union Teritory

Total
A (000 ha)
P (000 t)
Andaman and Nicobar
25.8
62.0
Andhra Pradesh
304.2
768.9
Assam
88.8
163.7
Chattisgarh
33.0
17.0
Goa
82.5
116.8
Gujrat
16.0
108.0
Karnataka
730.5
1777.0
Kerala
968.2
4176.5
Lakshwadeep
2.7
40.0
Maharasthra
198.2
321.6
Meghalaya
12.4
17.1
Mizoram
6.6
8.2
Nagaland
1.1
1.6
Orrisa
194.0
274.0
Pondichery
2.2
20.1
Tamil Nadu
537.4
3763.3
Tripura
10.2
16.4
West Bengal
51.0
276.2
Total
3264.6
11928.2

Table 2 : Crop Wise Area and Production of Plantation Crops in India (2009-11)

Crop
Area (000ha)
Production (000t)
Arecanut
923
613
Cocoa
400.1
478
46.3
12.9
Coffee
1895.2
10824.3
Tea
388.2
308.0
Rubber
578
980.0
Oilpalm
171.7
--
Total
4402.5
13216.2

  • Possible area expansion in traditional area is limited. Scope for expansion in non traditional regions is mainly in North and Eastern States.
  • Area occupied by plantation crops in India = 4 million ha. =2.8% of total cropped area.
  • Earnings from export of plantation crops is 27% of total agricultural . Commodities and 4.8% of total export.
  1. Topographical situation of plantation crop area in India:
    • Plantation crops in India are mainly confined to the less populated remote hilly areas of South India, i.e. mainly Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
  2. Commercialization of plantations:
    • Coconut and Arecanut-Being cultivated in India from time immemorial.
    • Cocoa-from 1960’s (Brazilians origin) : However, expansion gained momentum only after 1970’s
    • Oil palm-1970’s (African origin): Highest edible oil yielding crop ( 4- 6 tonnes oil per ha and some times even 8 t/ha)
    • Cashew- Introduced by Portuguese during 16th Century in malabar coast as Soil Conservation Crop (Brazilian origin). Now India ranks 1st in the world both in Area and production.
    • Rubber- Mainly in Kerala and Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. Now India occupy 4th position in the world. (4th position in and position in production )
  3. Yield gap:
    • There is gap in yield obtained by the farmers and yield reported in Research Stations. Potential yield of crops is very high.

Last modified: Wednesday, 9 November 2011, 9:58 AM