Indo-China Agriculture ARECA NUTS

We grow our areca palms from seed in our nursery for a year prior to field planting.

Our Areca Nuts

Areca Nut (Areca catechu): We continue to grow areca palm within our farms for their nuts and as natural stands for climbing intercrops.

Areca nut is commonly called “betel nut” or “betel nut palm” because the nut produced by the tree is most popularly chewed with the betel leaf known as “piper betle” (Piperaceae) which is from the pepper family.

Did you know?

ARECA NUTS FACTS

600 million

PEOPLE WORLDWIDE USE ARECA/BETEL NUTS

6 Cups

of Coffee is the buzz you get from Areca Nuts

70-80% of

People in Palau use Areca Nuts

From Nursery to Field

We grow our areca palms from seed in our seedbeds and transfer the nuts to poly bags where we keep the young seedlings in our nursery for one year prior to field planting.

Based on our experience, this long duration in the nursery ensures that the trees will survive well when field planted even during the dry season, especially since this tree enjoys a fair amount of water.

A Very Famous Nut

The areca nut is popular for chewing throughout many Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Malaysia, Myanmar, India, and the Pacific Islands, notably Papua New Guinea.

For chewing, a few slices of the nut are wrapped in a betel leaf along with calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) and may include clove, cardamom, catechu (kattha), or other spices for extra flavoring.

Betel leaf has a fresh, peppery taste, but it can also be bitter to varying degrees depending on the variety. Areca nuts are chewed with betel leaf for their effects as a mild stimulant.

Cultural and Medicinal

Areca nuts (and Betel Leaves) also play an important medicinal and cultural role in many countries and have been used in South Indian weddings as early as 400BC. The leaves and nuts have been part of ancient Ayurvedic books passed through elders in India and other South Asian countries who chew them as a mouth freshener and as an aphrodisiac.

In Vietnam, areca nuts are associated with the “Legend of Betel and Areca” about a wife’s faithfulness to her husband and the love between two siblings. They are a symbol of love, brotherhood, family, and happiness.

In Malaysia, Indonesia, Borneo, Thailand, and Cambodia, the areca nut is used for birthing rituals. Similar cultural uses are seen in other countries such as the Philippines, Indonesia, Bhutan, and Taiwan.

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Indo-China Agriculture Ltd is a subsidiary of Pacific Asia Holdings LLC