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Coffee Cultivation in India
Climate & Cultivation Requirements
- Climate: Requires a hot and humid climate of tropical areas.
- Temperature: Ideal range is 15°C to 28°C.
- Rainfall: Requires 150 cm to 250 cm.
- Terrain & Soil: Grows best on well-drained, sloppy/hilly terrain with loamy soil.
- Propagation: Grown from seeds.
Major Producing States
- Karnataka: Largest producer, contributing 70.5% of India’s coffee.
- Kerala: Second-largest producer, contributing 20.7%.
- Tamil Nadu: Third-largest producer, contributing 5.4%.
Key Coffee-Growing Regions
- In Karnataka:
- Chikmagalur: Known for coffee; site of India’s first coffee crop.
- Coorg (Kodagu): A major coffee-growing district.
- Baba Budangiri: A specific region known for coffee.
- In Tamil Nadu:
- Pulney Mountains (Palani Hills): A coffee-growing area near Kodaikanal.
Industry Overview
- India produces only 3.4% of the world’s total coffee.
- The two main varieties grown are Arabica and Robusta.
- Indian coffee has high demand and is exported to foreign countries.
Tea Cultivation in India
Climate & Cultivation Requirements
- Climate: Can be cultivated in both tropical and subtropical areas.
- Terrain: Requires sloping hills.
- Rainfall: Needs high annual rainfall of 150-200 cm.
- Temperature: Prefers an annual range of 15°C – 30°C.
- Propagation: Grown from stem cuttings.
- Terminology: Known as “Green Gold”.
Major Producing States
- Assam is the largest producer.
- Other major producers: West Bengal (Darjeeling), Tamil Nadu (Nilgiri), Kerala (Kanan Devan).
- Girnar hills in Gujarat do not have tea plantations.
Industry Status
- India is a leading producer and consumer of tea globally.
- Historically, India was the largest producer but has since dropped to 2nd place.
Rubber Cultivation in India
Major Producing State
- Kerala is the largest producer by far, accounting for over 75% of India’s production.
- Key districts in Kerala: Ernakulam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Kollam.
Global Context
- India is the 4th largest producer and 2nd largest consumer of natural rubber globally.
Spices in India
Major Producing States & Status
- Kerala is famously known as the “Spice Garden” of India.
- Madhya Pradesh is the largest spice-producing state in India by quantity.
- India is the world’s largest producer of spices.
Specific Spices
- Black Pepper:
- Grows in conditions similar to tea: hot/moist climate, 200 cm rainfall, on slopes up to 1100m.
- Sometimes called “Black Diamond”.
- Cardamom:
- Kerala is a leading producer of small cardamom (also grown in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu).
- Odisha is not a cardamom-producing state.
- Cloves:
- Obtained from the flower bud of a tree.
- Grown in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Ginger:
- India is the world’s largest producer of ginger.
Other Plantation & Commercial Crops
- Coconut:
- Kerala is the largest producer in India.
- India is the 3rd largest producer in the world (after Indonesia and the Philippines).
- Cashew Nut:
- Maharashtra is the largest producer in India.
- India is the 2nd largest producer in the world (after Vietnam).
- Sugarcane:
- Uttar Pradesh is the largest producer.
- An important crop in the Barak Valley.
- Mandya district in Karnataka is well-known for sugar production, not coffee.
- Tobacco:
- Major producers: Gujarat (largest), Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka.
- It was domesticated in the New World (Americas) and introduced to the Old World.
Agricultural Institutions & General Facts
National Horticulture Board (NHB)
- Established in: 1984.
- Legal Status: Registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act of 1860.
- Headquarters: Located in Gurugram, Haryana.
Definition of Plantation Crops
- Includes Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Coconut, Arecanut, Cocoa, and Cashew.
Major Imports
- Vegetable oils account for the highest import value among agricultural commodities. India imports about 70% of its consumption.
Columbian Exchange
- Crops like Tobacco, Cocoa, and Rubber were domesticated in the New World and introduced to the Old World by Europeans.
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