Plantation crops for socio-economic upliftment

Abstract

The plantation crop sector is well integrated with many other sectors of the economy through vertical and horizontal linkages. The sector also contributes a significant amount to the foreign exchange earnings through export earnings. The raw materials for many agro-industries also originate from the plantation crop sector. The magnitude of direct and indirect employment provided by the sector, especially in rural areas, makes it a vital cog in policy perspectives for overall economic development of the nation. The plantation crops constitute an important segment of the agricultural economy of our country. The sector has evolved as a significant driving force of growth and development of the agrarian economy in many states. The major plantation crops are coconut, arecanut, oil palm, cashew, tea, coffee and rubber. Besides, spice crops and cocoa can also be considered as plantation crops. The rising in population and the increase in purchasing power means that the demand for the major agricultural produce from the plantation crops sector will continue its robust growth. The combined production of tea and coffee increased from 0.5 million tonnes in 1970-71 to 1.3 million tonnes during 2013-14. Similarly in case of natural rubber, production increased from 0.14 to 0.85 million tonnes during the same period. The area and productivity of major plantation crops has also witnessed significant positive trend during the last five decades. The weight assigned in calculation of whole sale price index to the products directly linked to the plantation crop sector has increased by 12.1 per cent in the WPI index for base year 2004-05 from the earlier base year of 1993-94. This increase is indicative of the growing importance of products from plantation crops in our daily life, says Dr N K Krishna Kumar, DDG (Hort. Sci.), at ICAR Headquarters, New Delhi.