The term plantation crop refers to those crops which are cultivated on an extensive scale in contiguous area, owned and managed by an individual or a company. The crops include tea, coffee, rubber, cocoa, coconut, arecanut, oil palm, palmyrah and cashew. These are high value commercial crops of greater economic importance and play a vital role in improving Indian economy, especially in view of their export potential, employment generation and poverty alleviation particularly in rural sector. Coconut, cashewnut, cocoa, arecanut, oil palm and palm yrah come under Ministry of Agriculture while tea, coffee and rubber are dealt by Ministry of Commerce. The plantation crops covered in this checklist are arecanut, cashewnut, cocoa and coconut.

                                Leading Plantation Crops Producing States

Arecanut: Arecanut or betelnut is an important cash crop in the Western Ghats, East Coast and North Eastern regions of India. Areca plant is a tall stemmed erect palm, reaching varied heights, depending upon the environmental conditions. Arecanut is an important component of the religious, social and cultural celebrations and economic life of people in India. Arecanut is also used in ayurvedic and veterinary medicines. The habit of chewing arecanut is typical of the Indian subcontinent and its neighbourhood. Although production of arecanut is localized in a few states, the commercial product is widely distributed all over the country. India is the largest producer and consumer of arecanut in the world. Karnataka is major arecanut growing state followed by Kerala and Assam. It is grown on a limited scale in Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Goa.

Cashewnut: Cashew has assumed an important place in the Indian economy. Cashew cultivation is confined mainly to the peninsular India. Major cashew producing states are Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra along the West Coast and Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu along the East Coast. It is also grown to a limited extent in Goa, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura. The area, production and productivity of cashew have been increasing as a result of identification of superior clones, standardization of vegetative propagation techniques and near self sufficiency in quality planting material.

Cocoa: Cocoa, though introduced in India in the early half of the last century, gained commercial cultivation only in 1970. Cocoa is grown as a companion crop in irrigated coconut and arecanut gardens in Kerala and Karnataka. Cocoa is being grown in some pockets of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh also.

Coconut: The coconut palm is one of the most beautiful and useful trees in the world, grown in more than 90 countries of the tropical. It provides food, drink and shelter and also provides raw material to number of industries intimately connected with domestic as well as economic life. All the plant parts of this wonder palm are useful to mankind in one way or other. On account of this, the palm has been regarded as Kalpvriksh (Tree of heaven). In India, coconut is grown mainly along the coastal regions. Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Goa, Assam, Puducherry, Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are major coconut growing states. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and North Eastern region have also gained momentum in its cultivation.

Major Plantation Producing Districts in Kerala

Commercial Varieties of Plantation Crops

Source: Check list of Commercial Varieties of Plantation Crops, Ministry of Agriculture, Govt of India