Spices and Condiments

Origin and Distribution

• Betelevine (Piper betel Linn.) is a native of central and eastern Malaysia and has spread through tropical Asia and Malaysia. It was also taken to Madagascar and East Africa at a later date. It is an important cash crop in Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal with an annual turnover of about Rs 700 crores. Its leaves are exported to Pakistan, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia, Burma and Thailand. In Karnataka, Chitradurga, Bellary, Uttara Kannada Dharwad, Chikkamagalore, Hassan, Mysore, Shimoga and Bangalore are the important districts.