SHIVAMOGGA: Karnataka has significantly expanded the area under arecanut cultivation over the past five years, but the increase has been accompanied by a sharp decline in productivity, according to data tabled by the Union government in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The figures show that the state's arecanut acreage increased from 6,03,121 hectares in 2021-22 to 7,98,677 hectares in 2025-26 (Second Advance Estimates), an expansion of about 1,95,500 hectares, or more than 32%. During the same period, however, average productivity declined from 2.24 tonnes per hectare to 1.42 tonnes per hectare, a fall of nearly 37%.
The decline in yields has meant that production has not kept pace with the rapid expansion in cultivation. Karnataka produced 13.5 lakh tonnes of arecanut in 2021-22, but output fell to 10.2 lakh tonnes the following year before gradually recovering to 11.3 lakh tonnes in the latest estimates—still about 16% lower than the level recorded five years ago.
The data were furnished by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Ramnath Thakur in a written reply to a question from Shivamogga MP B.Y. Raghavendra. Despite the decline in productivity, Karnataka remains the backbone of India’s arecanut economy. The state accounted for 71.56% of the country’s total arecanut cultivation area and 75.47% of national production over the past five years, underlining its dominant position in the sector.
The district-wise data indicate that the trend is widespread across major producing regions. Shivamogga, the state’s largest arecanut-growing district, expanded cultivation from 1,11,758 hectares in 2021-22 to 1,34,692 hectares in 2025-26. However, productivity dropped from 2.13 tonnes per hectare to 1.11 tonnes per hectare, while production declined from 2,37,710 tonnes to 1,49,593 tonnes despite the increase in acreage.
In Dakshina Kannada, another key arecanut-growing belt, cultivation increased from 1,01,689 hectares to 1,07,900 hectares, but productivity more than halved, falling from 2.70 tonnes per hectare to 1.31 tonnes per hectare. Production declined from 2,74,560 tonnes to 1,41,349 tonnes over the same period.
Udupi also witnessed a sharp decline in yields, from 3.12 tonnes per hectare to 1.50 tonnes per hectare, while production dropped from 72,430 tonnes to 39,859 tonnes, even though the cultivated area increased modestly.
In Uttara Kannada, the area under arecanut cultivation increased from 32,698 hectares to 39,354 hectares, but productivity declined from 2.90 tonnes per hectare to 1.50 tonnes per hectare, leading to a fall in production from 94,823 tonnes to 59,031 tonnes.
Not all districts followed the same trajectory. Chikkamagaluru registered higher production in the latest estimates despite relatively stable productivity, while districts such as Haveri and Hassan also recorded increases in both cultivated area and production over the five-year period.
The parliamentary reply does not spell out the reasons for the sustained decline in productivity. However, it lists several interventions being implemented by the Directorate of Arecanut and Spices Development (DASD), including programmes for the management of Leaf Spot Disease, fruit rot disease and root grub infestation, the promotion of hybrid dwarf varieties, multispecies cropping systems, and weather-based disease prediction. The Centre has also launched a community-based Leaf Spot Disease management programme in 10 affected taluks in Karnataka.
The trend is mirrored at the national level. Across India, the area under arecanut cultivation increased from 8,49,330 hectares in 2021-22 to 11.06 lakh hectares in 2025-26, while average productivity declined from 1.96 tonnes per hectare to 1.38 tonnes per hectare.