As per the
report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United
Nations, only 11 nations are producing areca nut globally. The global areca nut production was 22.11
lakh Tonnes in 2020. Among all the
nations, India is the major producer, contributing 62.5 % to the global areca
nut production in 2020. As per the report published by Directorate of Areca nut
and Spices, Calicut, total areca nut production in India in 2019-20 was
13,52,761 Tonnes. Karnataka state alone contributed about 80% of total Indian
production for the year 2019-20.
As per the
data released by the Directorate of economics and statistics Bengaluru for the
year 2019-20, Karnataka state has produced 11,23,962 Tonnes of areca nut. In
fact, this is more than the production figure (10,81,840 Tonnes) stated by Directorate
of Areca nut and Spices, Calicut. It appears, there is some data inconsistency.
Out of 30
districts of Karnataka state, areca nut is being produced in 24 districts.
Among 24 districts, 7 districts marked in red contribute for 87% of Karnataka’s
total areca nut production. Even a nominal price of Rs. 350/Kg is considered,
the direct revenue generated by Karnataka through areca nut cultivation would be to the tune of Rs. 40,000 crores in 2019-20.
