The country produced 5.3 lakh tonnes of arecanut on 4.1 lakh hactares of land during 2010-11.
Speaking at a seminar on the use of fungicides in areca plantations in Mangalore on Wednesday, Mr Tamilselvan, Director, Directorate of Areca and Spices, Kozhikode, said Karnataka accounted for nearly half of the produce. It produced 2.58 lakh tonnes on 1.95 lakh hectares during the year.
Though nearly 25 per cent of areca is used by the supari industry, the arecanut sector is facing various challenges. Other alternative uses have not been commercially exploited.
In such a situation, growers should think of areca-based mixed cropping system. This would shield areca growers when prices of the commodity crash.