Betel (Piper betle) is a species of flowering plant in the pepper familyPiperaceae, native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen,dioecious[1] vine, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and whitecatkins. Betel plants are cultivated for their leaves which are most commonly used as flavoring for chewingareca nut in so-calledbetel quid (often confusingly referred to as "betel nut"), which is toxic and is associated with a wide range of serious health conditions.
Betel leaf and Areca nut consumption in the world.
The betel leaf is cultivated mostly in South and Southeast Asia, fromIndia[6] toPapua New Guinea.[7] It needs a compatible tree or a long pole for support. Betel requires well-drained fertile soil. Waterlogged,saline andalkali soils are unsuitable for its cultivation.[8]
InBangladesh, farmers calledbarui[9] prepare a garden called abarouj in which to grow betel. Thebarouj is fenced withbamboo sticks andcoconut leaves. The soil is plowed into furrows of 10 to 15 m length, 75 cm in width and 75 cm depth.Oil cakes,manure, and leaves are thoroughly incorporated with thetopsoil of the furrows andwood ash. The cuttings are planted at the beginning of themonsoon season.
Betel plant cultivation in BangladeshBetel leaves in Kolkata market, West Bengal, India
Proper shade andirrigation are essential for the successful cultivation of this crop. Betel needs constantly moist soil, but there should not be excessive moisture. Irrigation is frequent and light, and standing water should not remain for more than half an hour.
Dried leaves and wood ash are applied to the furrows at fortnightly intervals and cow dung slurry is sprinkled. Application of different kinds of leaves at monthly intervals is believed advantageous for the growth of the betel. In three to six months, the vines reach 150 to 180 cm in height, and they will branch. Harvest begins with the farmer plucking the leaf and itspetiole with his right thumb. The harvest lasts 15 days to one month. The betel plant has made its way to research labs of many Bangladesh chemical and food nutrition companies.
The harvested leaves are consumed locally and exported to other parts of Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Betel is grown and cultivated as an important crop in rural Bangladesh.[citation needed]
The primary use of betel leaf is as a wrapper for thechewing ofareca nut, or in modern times,tobacco, where it is mainly used to add flavour. The practice originated in thePhilippines around 5,000 years ago, where the oldest remains of areca nuts andcalcium from crushed sea shells have been found in theDuyong Cave archaeological site. It spread along with theAustronesian migrations to the rest ofSoutheast Asia,Taiwan,South China, andSouth Asia. It is unknown when or why betel leaves were first combined with areca nuts, since areca nuts can be chewed alone.[5]
While the practice of chewing Betel leaf existed even before thecommon era, with attested references from at least the 3rd century CE, the ingredient mix (paan/ betel quid) it was chewed with changed over time.[10]Areca nut,Calcium hydroxide andcatechu were the historic ingredients, as referenced in texts from 9th century CE. Tobacco started to feature in the 20th century.[10][11] The practice of chewing betel leaf is on the decline, and now quid consisting of tobacco, areca nut, andlimewater, known asgutka, is more popular.[11]
InIndia andSri Lanka, a sheaf of betel leaves is traditionally offered as a mark of respect and auspicious beginnings. Occasions include greeting elders at wedding ceremonies, celebrating the New Year, and offering payment to physicians and astrologers, to whom money and/or areca nut, placed on top of the sheaf of leaves, are offered in thanks for blessings. In Bengali weddings, the bride is brought to the groom, seated on a platform and her face covered in betel leaves.
It may also be used in cooking, usually raw, for its peppery taste. Use ofbinlang, or betel, has over a 300-year history in areas of China, where it was once promoted for medicinal use.[14]
Betel leaves for selling in the marketBetel inBangladeshA Bengali woman selling betel leaves in Howrah
Betel vines are cultivated throughout southeast Asia, in plots typically 20 to 2,000 square metres (0.005 to 0.5 acre) in size.
Malaysian farmers cultivate four types of betel plants: sirih India, sirih Melayu, sirih Cina and sirih Udang. The harvest is then sold in bundles of leaves, each bundle costing in 2011 between MYR 0.30 and 0.50 ($0.07 and $0.12).
In Sri Lanka, betel is grown all over the country. Commercial production of betel, with bigger leaves with dark green colour combined with thickness, known as "kalu bulath", is confined to a few districts, such asKurunagala,Gampaha,Kegalle,Kalutara andColombo.[8] These are sold at a wholesaler in lots of 1,000 leaves. According to a report published by theUnited NationsFood and Agriculture Organization (FAO),[39] a successful betel farm in Sri Lanka can provide a supplemental income to a farmer by providing six days of work every six months and net income when the leaf prices are attractive.[40]
The FAO study found the successful farm's yield to be 18,000 leaves per 150 square feet (14 m2). The additional salary and income to the Sri Lankan betel grower, assuming he or she provides all needed labor and keeps all net profit, is SL Rs. 1635 per 150 square feet (14 m2) of betel farm every 6 months ($90 per "decimal" per year, or $9000 per acre per year). If the farmer hires outside labor to tend the betel vines and harvest the crop, the net income to the betel farm owner was SL Rs. 735 per 150 square feet (14 m2) of betel farm every six months ($40 per decimal per year, or $4000 per acre per year). The market prices for betel leaves vary with the wet and dry seasons in Sri Lanka, and in 2010 averaged SL Rs. 200–400 per 1,000 leaves ($1.82 to $3.64 per 1000 leaves).[41] The FAO study assumes no losses from erratic weather and no losses during storage and transportation of perishable betel leaves. These losses are usually between 35% and 70%.[42]
In Bangladesh, betel leaf farming yields vary by region and vine variety. In one region where betel leaf cultivation is the main source of income for farmers, a total of 2,825 hectares of land is dedicated to betel vine farming.[43] The average production costs for these betel farms in Bangladesh are about Tk 300,000 per hectare ($4,000 per hectare, $16 per decimal). The farm owners can earn a profit of over Tk 100,000 per hectare ($1,334 per hectare, $5.34 per decimal).
In India, a 2006 research reported[42] betel vines being cultivated on about 55,000 hectares of farmland, with an annual production worth of about IN Rs. 9000 million ($200 million total, averaging $1,455 per acre). The betel farming industry, the report claims, supports about 400,000 – 500,000 agricultural families.
A March 2011 report claims that betel farming is on a decline in India.[44] While in ideal conditions some farms may gross annual incomes after expenses of over IN Rs. 26,000 per 10 decimal farm ($5,780 per acre), a betel farm's income is highly erratic from year to year, due to varying rainfall patterns, temperature, and spoilage rates of 35% to 70% during transport over poor infrastructure.[42] Simultaneously, the demand for betel leaves has been dropping in India due to acceptance of gutkha (chewing tobacco) by consumers over betel leaf-based ‘‘paan’’ preparation.[45] The report cites betel leaf trading has dropped by 65% from 2000 to 2010 and created an oversupply. As a result, the report claims Indian farmers do not find betel farming lucrative anymore.[44]
^abRimando, Agnes M.; Han, Byung Hoon; Park, Jeong Hill; Cantoria, Magdalena C. (1986). "Studies on the constituents of PhilippinePiper betle leaves".Archives of Pharmacal Research.9 (2):93–97.doi:10.1007/BF02857217.ISSN0253-6269.S2CID98263258.
^Senn, M.; Baiwog, F.; Winmai, J.; Mueller, I.; Rogerson, S.; Senn, N. (2009). "Betel nut chewing during pregnancy, Madang province, Papua New Guinea".Drug and Alcohol Dependence.105 (1–2):126–31.doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2009.06.021.PMID19665325.
^Yang, Mei-Sang; Lee, Chien-Hung; Chang, Shun-Jen; Chung, Tieh-Chi; Tsai, Eing-Mei; Ko, Allen Min-Jen; Ko, Ying-Chin (2008). "The effect of maternal betel quid exposure during pregnancy on adverse birth outcomes among aborigines in Taiwan".Drug and Alcohol Dependence.95 (1–2):134–9.doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2008.01.003.PMID18282667.
^Yin Y, Huang XZ, Wang J, Dai JH, Liang H, Dai Y (June 2009). "[Studies on the chemical constituents of the stems of Piper betle]".Zhong Yao Cai = Zhongyaocai = Journal of Chinese Medicinal Materials (in Chinese).32 (6):887–90.PMID19764326.
^Huang X, Yin Y, Huang W, Sun K, Cheng C, Bai L, Dai Y (September 2010). "[Alkaloids and lignans from stems of Piper betle]".Zhongguo Zhong Yao Za Zhi = Zhongguo Zhongyao Zazhi = China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica (in Chinese).35 (17):2285–8.PMID21137339.
