Constraints faced by the Respondents in Cultivation of Betel Vine in Malappuram District of Kerala

Betel vine (Piper betel L. ) in India is grown as an important cash crop across the states, of, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tripura ,Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. A study was undertaken in Malappuram district of Kerala for analysis of constraints faced by the farmers in betel vine cultivation covering Tanur block taking six villages selected purposively where the crop is grown as a major crop. A total 120 betel vine growers were selected randomly from six villages. It is observed that nearly half of the respondents felt the constraints were severe (45%) in betel vine cultivation, followed by not severe (31.66%) and very severe (23.33%). Most of the respondents experienced labour shortage or high labour cost as the most problematic constraint, the study further indicated that the second most important constraint found was price fluctuation followed by water scarcity, transportation and insects and diseases.