Betel Leaf Sep-12

Market Survey
By: Dr K. Ramamurthi

O. Usha Rani
BETEL LEAF: NATURES GREEN

MEDICINE
Though regarded as a very powerful medicinal plant amongst ayurvedic practioners, betel leaf
plays an increasingly marginal role in our lives today. Changing consumer preferences have
been instrumental in making cultivators of this crop look for alternative sources of income
while the essential oil contained in
the leaves possesses anti-bacterial, anti-protozoan and anti-fungal
properties. Therefore the oil kills
Table I
The Nutritional
Composition of
Fresh Betel Leaf
Constituents
Betel leaf plantations
he betel plant is an
evergreen and perennial creeper, with glossy
heart-shaped leaves. It
belongs to the family of
Piperaceae, which includes pepper
and Kava. It is native to South and
South East Asia (India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka).
Betel leaf is one of the most commercial crops, and has the potential
to attract substantial amounts of
FACTS FOR YOU
September 2012
foreign exchange into the country.

It is known to have tremendous medicinal benefits. Records show that it
was in use as far back as 2000 years.
Betel leaves play a vital role in
Indian tradition, customs and rituals. It is traditionally used to treat
various diseases like bad breath,
boils and abscesses, conjunctivitis,
constipation, swelling of gums, cuts
and injuries. The root is known for
its female contraceptive effects,
Water
Protein
Fat
Minerals
Fibre
Chlorophyll
Carbohydrate
Nicotinic Acid
Vitamin C
Vitamin A
Thiamine
Riboflavin
Tannin
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
Calcium
Iron
Iodine
Essential oil
Energy
Approximate
composition
8.5-9.0%
3-3.5%
0.4-1.0%
2.3-3.3%
2.3%
0.01-0.25%
0.5-6.10%
0.63-0.89 mg/100 gm
0.005-0.01%
1.9-2.9 mg/100g
10-70 g/100g
1.9-30 g/100g
0.1-1.3%
2.0-7.0%
0.05-0.6%
1.1-4.6%
0.2-0.5%
0.005-0.007%
3.4 g/100 gm
0.08-0.2%
44 kcal/100 gm
Market Survey
or inhibits the growth of the deadly
bacteria that cause typhoid, cholera,
tuberculosis, etc.
Properties of the
betel leaf
The plant grows to a height of
about one metre. Kammaru betel
leaf has a higher level of juice which
cures pharyngitis, abdominal pain
and abdominal distension. Ordinary betel leaf cures urticaria and as
per ayurvedic medicine, it restores
the loss of equilibrium between the
three humours, namely, Vatha,
Pitha and Kabha.
Betel leaves anti-oxidant effect
is due to the presence of phenols,
particularly hydroxylchavicol (4-allyl pyrocatechol). The leaf produces

an aromatic volatile oil containing
a phenol called chavicol which has
powerful antiseptic properties. The
essential oil present gives rise to a
sensation of warmth and well-being
in the mouth and stomach. It is also
known to produce a primary stimulation of the central nervous system,
followed by a kind of inebriety if consumed in large doses. The betel leaf
is believed to be a common household remedy for various ailments.
Traditional uses
1. A paste of betel leaves mixed

with salt and hot water can be administered
for
Table II
filariasis.
2. For treating
Betel Leaf Varieties Grown Across India
obesity,
one betel
State
Varieties of betel leaf
leaf mixed with
Andhra Pradesh Karapaku, Chennor, Tellaku, Bangla and Kalli Patti
piper nigrum is
Assam
Assam Patti, Awani pan, Bangla and Khasi Pan
prescribed for two
Bihar
Desi Pan, Calcutta, Paton, Meghai and Bangla
months.
Karnataka
Kariyale, Mysoreale and Ambadiale
3. Its juice
Kerala
Nadan, Kalkodi and Puthukodi
along with honey
or a liquid extract
Madhya Pradesh Desi Bangla, Calcutta and Deswari
is useful to treat
Maharashtra
Kallipatti, Kapoori and Bangla (Ramtek)
coughs, dyspnoea,
Orissa
Godi Bangla, Nova Cuttak, Sanchi and Birkoli
and indigestion,
Tamil Nadu
Pachai Kodi and Vellaikodi
among children.
Uttar Pradesh
Deswari, Kapoori, Maghai and Bangla
4. When the
West Bengal
Bangla, Sanchi, Mitha, Kali Bangla and Simurali Bangla
leaves
smeared
Table III
Cost of Setting up a Betel Leaf Plantation

Items (for 10 decimal or 0.04 ha)
Soil for elevation (61 cm high from the ground to prevent
submergence)
Bamboo and other grass for the outside structure
Organic fertilisers and pesticides
Chemical fertilisers and pesticides
Stem cutting of betel for plant propagation
Stick on which the plant climbs
Pump set for water supply from nearby sources
Labour costs
Total initial investment
Cost in year
2000 (Rs)
Cost in year
2010 (Rs)
500
5500
500
2500
4500
2000
7000
4000
26,500
2000
17,500
1000
5000
15,000
4500
15,000
15,000
75,000
September 2012
FACTS FOR YOU
Market Survey
with oil are applied on the breasts of
lactating women, it is said to promote
milk secretion.
5. A local application is recommended for inflammatory swellings
such as orchitis, arthritis and mastitis.
6. For childhood and old people,
leaves soaked in mustard oil and
warmed are applied to the chest in
order to relieve cough and dyspnoea.
7. Eliminates bad breath, body
odour and prevents tooth decay.
8. Prevents and treats vaginal
discharge, and reduces itching of the
vagina.
9. Stops bleeding in the nose.
10. It contains vitamins such as
thiamine, niancin, riboflavin and
carotene.
ally from the Magadha region) grown

near Patna in Bihar, India. The betel
leaf is cultivated in most of South
and South-East Asia. The betel vines
(usually the male plants) are widely
cultivated throughout India, except
the dry northwestern parts. The female plants rarely produce any flower or fruit in the Indian climate. Since
it is a creeper, it needs a compatible
tree or a long pole for support.
Climatic conditions and

soil requirements
The betel plant grows best under the shaded, tropical forest with
a rainfall of about 2250-4750 mm,
relative humidity and temperature
ranging from 40-80 per cent and 1540C, respectively. Betel is a sun-loving plant but produces better-quality
Cultivation of the
leaves in the wet and intermediate
betel leaf plant
zones rather than in the dry zone.
Appropriate shade levels and irrigaThe betel plant originated in
tion are essential for the successful
Malaysia and now grows in India,
cultivation of this crop. It requires
Indonesia and Sri Lanka. The best
special care for its cultivation, like
betel leaf is the Magahi variety (literthe sterilisation of soil,
Table IV
which is achieved mainly by
Running and Maintenance Cost
solarisation. Well-drained,
Items (for 10 decimal)
Cost in 2000 Cost in 2010 fertile and sandy soil is suitable for its cultivation.
(Rs)
(Rs)
Climbing sticks that need
replacement every 3 months
Fertiliser, pesticide, fungicide
and hormones
Repairs of outside structure
Labour costs every 3 months
(2 labourers twice a week @
Rs 150 per day)
Diesel cost for three months
Total cost of maintenance
1500
4000
500
300
1000
1000
Geographical
distribution in
India
There are about a hundred varieties of betel

grown across the world, of
2000
7500
which about 40 are found in
400
1000
India, and of these, 30 grow
4700
14,500
in West Bengal. Betel is an
important cash crop in
Table V
Andhra Pradesh, KarAverage Annual Income
nataka, Kerala and
For 10 decimal
Profits in
Profits in 2010 Tamil Nadu. It is also
cultivated in Assam, Bi2000 (Rs)
(Rs)
har, Madhya Pradesh,
First harvest in 3 months
1500-3000
2000-4000
Maharashtra, Orissa,
Subsequently, every 2 weeks 1500-3000
2000-4000
Average annual income
36,000-72,000 48,000-96,000 Tripura, Uttar Pradesh
and West Bengal.
10
FACTS FOR YOU
September 2012
Traditional paan
Indian paan
The leaves of the betel vine are
popularly known as paan in India.
Thse have a high economical and
medicinal value but from ancient
times they have been mostly used for
chewing purposes and at ceremonial
events.
Farmers of Madhya Pradesh and
the Navada district of Bihar receive
state aid. Madhya Pradesh offers Rs
30,000 or half of the cost of setting
up a farm to each betel farmer. Bihar
has been disbursing Rs 15,000 per
half a decimal farm since 2008-09.
There has been decline of betel
farming in India in 2011. While in
ideal conditions, some farms gross
an annual income (after expenses) of
over Rs 26,000 per 10 decimal farms
($5,780 per acre), the income is highly
erratic from year to year, because of
varying rainfall patterns and spoilage
rates of 35 to 70 per cent during transport (owing to poor infrastructure).
Simultaneously, the demand for betel
leaves has been dropping in India because of the growing consumer preference for gutkha (chewing tobacco)
over betel leaf-based paan preparations. Betel leaf trading has dropped
by 65 per cent between 2000 and
2010, resulting in a glut. As a result,
Indian farmers do not find betel farming lucrative anymore.
Dr K. Ramamurthi is principal, Coimbatore Institute of Management And

Technology (CIMAT), while O. Usha Rani
is M.Phil research scholar, Department of
Management Studies and Research, Coimbatore Institute of Management And
Technology (CIMAT), Coimbatore

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Market Survey

BETEL LEAF: NATURES GREEN

Betel leaf plantations

FACTS FOR YOU

foreign exchange into the country.

particularly hydroxylchavicol (4-allyl pyrocatechol). The leaf produces

1. A paste of betel leaves mixed

Cost of Setting up a Betel Leaf Plantation

FACTS FOR YOU

ally from the Magadha region) grown

Climatic conditions and

There are about a hundred varieties of betel

FACTS FOR YOU

Dr K. Ramamurthi is principal, Coimbatore Institute of Management And

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