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Plantation Crops and Spices
Tea, coffee, rubber, coconut, cashew and the spice belt, each marked at the state that leads it.
Asked in exams
Actual questions from UPSC and state PCS papers that this map answers. The key detail column carries the correct fact behind each question.
| Exam | Question | Key detail |
|---|---|---|
| UPPCS | Largest producer of tea: Assam | — |
| UPSC 1979 | Maximum foreign exchange (then): tea | — |
| UPSC 2022 | AP, Kerala, HP, Tripura - how many are tea states?: all four | AP counts via Araku valley tea |
| UPSC 2022 | Counted among tea-producing states ✓ | — |
| UPSC 2022 | Andhra Pradesh counted as a tea state ✓ | — |
| UPSC 2008 | Chikmagalur for sugar ✗, Mandya for coffee ✗: neither | — |
| UPPCS | Highest coffee production: Karnataka | — |
| UPPCS | British first started coffee in: Chikmagalur district | — |
| UPPCS | Most rubber-producing state: Kerala | — |
| UPSC 2019 | Tobacco, cocoa, rubber: domesticated in the New World | — |
| UPPCS | Largest producer of cardamom and pepper: Kerala | old key; Karnataka leads pepper now |
| UPSC 2010 | Hot humid, 200 cm rain, slopes to 1,100 m, 15-30°C: pepper | — |
| UPPCS | Idukki, a major cardamom producer, is in: Kerala | — |
| UPPCS | Not known for cardamom: Odisha | — |
| UPPCS | Most saffron is produced in: Kashmir | — |
| UPPCS | Largest coconut producer: Tamil Nadu / Kerala | older keys - Karnataka leads in 2023-24 |
| UPPCS | Coconut in Lakshadweep - both statements correct | — |
| UPPCS | Major cashew-producing state: Maharashtra | — |
| UPSC 2011 | Best climate for many orchids at minimum cost: Arunachal Pradesh | — |
| State PCS | India is the world’s largest producer of spices ✓ | also largest consumer and exporter; 75 of 109 ISO varieties |
| State PCS | Turmeric: Telangana is the largest producer ✓ | Nizamabad belt; National Turmeric Board HQ |
| State PCS | Arecanut: Karnataka is the largest producer ✓ | 73%, Malnad and coastal districts |
| State PCS | National Turmeric Board is headquartered at Nizamabad ✓ | Telangana, the top turmeric state |
About this map
Tea, coffee, rubber, pepper, cardamom, saffron, coconut and cashew, each marked where it grows best. The fact names the signature region and the exam tag.
The UPSC 2022 tea question reset this topic: Assam and West Bengal for tea, Karnataka and Kerala for coffee, Kerala for rubber and spices. Saffron is the Pampore (Kashmir) singleton.
Spice Board and GI tags (Malabar pepper, Alleppey cardamom, Coorg coffee) are asked as institution-to-crop matching. Plantation crops are tropical: latitude is the giveaway.