The Hindu Business Line : Domestic arecanut output up by 57%

The Indian arecanut growers are expanding the area under cultivation and increasing production every year, irrespective of the factors such as threat of import and lack of labourers to manage arecanut plantations.

Database

The latest database compiled by the Kozhikode-based Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development shows that the area under cultivation and production witnessed a growth of 53.90 per cent and 57.78 per cent, respectively, in a decade spanning from 1994-95. The database doesn’t give the reasons for the growth in these two sectors. Some of the reasons for this could be the boom in the domestic arecanut market in the pre-2000 period and expansion of area under cultivation.

According to the ‘Arecanut and Spices Databse’, the area under arecanut cultivation stood at 3.74 lakh hectares in 2004-05 as against 2.43 lakh hectares in 1994-95 and the production of the commodity reached 4.56 lakh tonnes in 2004-05 as against 2.89 lakh tonnes in 1999.

Mr S.R. Rangamurthy, President of the Central Arecanut and Cocoa Marketing and Processing Cooperative (Campco) Ltd, told Business Line that the arecanut fetched good price to growers during 1992-2000.

Following this, many growers went in for expansion in area of cultivation. From traditional areas such as Dakshina Kannada, Shimoga, Sagar and Sirsi in Karnataka, cultivation expanded to other parts of the state such as Chitradurga, Chennagiri and Bheemasamudra.

Karnataka Tops list

In 2004-05, Karnataka topped the list both in area under cultivation with 1.53 lakh hectares and production at 2.03 lakh tonnes, followed by Kerala with 1.07 lakh hectares and 1.10 lakh tonnes.

Assam came third where arecanut was grown on 74,000 hectares of land with 69,000 tonnes of production.

Mr M. Srinivasa Achar, President of the All-India Arecanut Growers’ Association, said that the increase in area under cultivation is more in red variety of arecanut than the white variety.

The non-traditional arecanut-growing areas are opting for red variety of arecanut.

It is to be noted here that red arecanut is used for the manufacture of ‘gutkha’ and the variety commands a better price than white arecanut. Barring coastal districts, red variety is grown in most of the other districts in Karnataka.

During 2003-04, the area under cultivation in Shimoga increased to 28,039 hectares (21,105 hectares during 1999-00). This was followed by Dakshina Kannada at 27,092 hectares (23,602 hectares), Davangere at 21,235 hectares (13,860 hectares) and Chitradurga at 14,366 hectares (8001 hectares).

Mr Rangamurthy suggested that the growers should go in for reducing the cost of production and resort to intercropping rather than expanding the area of cultivation.

ABOVE WORLD AVG

Worldwide figures for area under arecanut cultivation and production witnessed a growth of 49.20 per cent and 38.40 per cent, respectively, during the period.

During 2004-05, the area under cultivation stood at 6.52 lakh hectares (4.37 lakh hectares during 1994-95) and the production at 7.64 lakh tonnes (5.52 lakh tonnes).

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