Area under arecanut up by 30.25 % in last five years in India, 32.42 % in Karnataka
Data from the Union government shows that while the land area dedicated to arecanut cultivation in India has increased by over 30% in five years, total production has declined due to falling productivity. The government is now implementing community-based management programs to combat Leaf Spot Disease in Karnataka.
Why it matters
The decline in productivity despite increased land usage highlights significant agricultural challenges that could impact the livelihoods of farmers in major producing states like Karnataka.
Area under arecanut in the country went up by 30.25% during the last five years. However, the production decreased by 8.22%, according to the Union government.
The area went up from 8.49 lakh hectares in 2021-22 to 11.06 lakh hectares in 2025-26 (second advance estimates), Ramnath Thakur, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare told the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
But the production came down from 16.66 lakh tonnes to 15.29 lakh tonnes (second advance estimates) during the same period. It is because the productivity decreased from 1.96 tonne per hectare to 1.38 tonne a hectare.
The Minister replied to an unstarred question by MP for Shivamogga B.R. Raghavendra.
Karnataka continues to be on top both in area and production of arecanut. The Minister said during the last five years, Karnataka accounted for 71.56% of the country’s total area and 75.47% of the country’s total production under arecanut.
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