Dr. G.I. D'Souza memorial lecture on nematode diseases of plantation crops

Plantation crops perennial in nature, cultivated extensively in tropics/subtropics, which demand employment of labour throughout the year and require some processing before use. The important crops in India are coffee, tea, rubber, cashew, cocoa, coconut, arecanut, oil palm, black pepper, cardamom, ginger and turmeric. They play an important role from the point of export earning and import substitution. In India, these crops are being cultivated in an area of 5.8 million ha and generate an annual income of Rs. 4,48,590 million. They occupy a premier position in the export earnings amounting to Rs. 72,350 million. India is known as the "home of spices" and is a leading country in production, consumption and export of spices. The world trade of spices is estimated around 4.5 lakh million tones of which Indian share is 47% in terms of quantity and 25% in terms of value (Pal & Khan, 2001). Spices occupy a dominant role in Kerala's agricultural economy. Kerala shares about 90% of the total spices output in the country. Nearly one lakh tonnes of spices are being exported from the country, annually earning foreign exchange of Rs. 275–300 crores.