Agriculture in Kerala

About Agriculture in Kerala

Historically known for the cultivation of a number of commercial crops, Kerala has an agrarian economy. Many cash crops, like coconuts, rubber, tea and coffee, pepper and cardamom, cashew, areca nut, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, cloves etc., give the agriculture of Kerala a distinct flavour. Nearly 70% of Indian output of coconuts is provided by Kerala. Alappuzha, one the district of Kerala known as the 'rice bowl of the state', has a predominant position in the production of rice.

Overview

Total geographical area - 38,85,497 ha

Forests - 10,81,509 ha

Land put to non-Agri use - 3,93,341 ha

Barren & uncultivable land - 29,580 ha

Permanent pastures and others - 263 ha

Land under misc.Tree crops - 13,022 ha

Fallow other than current fallow - 39,181 ha

Current fallow - 70,798 ha

Cultivable waste - 69,226 ha

Net sown area - 21,88,537 ha

Total cropped area - 29,70,384 ha

Predominance of Small & Marginal Farmers is about 98% along with an average size of operational holdings being 0.27 ha/0.675 acre. The cropped area under perennial crops is around 86%. The coconut occupies 41 % of the net cropped area and support 17.5 million people. The plantation crops of rubber, tea, coffee and cardamom occupy 28% of the net cropped area with 6 million people depending on plantation sector.