nuts. But there are a considerable number of small 
patches of palms, grown near tanks and river sides for 
family use or for catering to a group of villages, which 
seldom come under statistics. Precise figures of acreage 
under the palm are thus difficult to obtain. The statistics 
regarding the actual acreage, total production, etc., are 
incomplete; the figures often given in journals and books 
must be taken with large margins. It is often noted that 
the acreage for India and Burma is as follows: 
Bombay State (Province) 22,700 acres 
Madras - 108,600 ‘* 
Mysore - 84,500 *‘ 
Ceylon 68,500 ‘ 
Burma 30,750 ‘‘ 
Bengal and Assam State (Province) greater acreage 
than any other states (no definite figures). 
The net profit per acre is not very high. It is stated 
to be just over Rs. 100 per acre—an acre holds from 
1,000 to 1,500 palms; each palm on the average yields 
about 250-800 nuts; often the annual yield per acre is 
up to 300 ewts. However, the yield of cured high-grade 
nuts is much less; in Mysore, it is stated to be only 7 
ewts. per acre. The prices vary very much according to 
the grades from Rs. 50 to Rs. 8 per ewt.; the difference 
of prices between first grade quality to inferior is often 
as high as 5 to 1. 
CONCLUSION 
The use of pan in India has remained unchanged for 
centuries (except for the impact of tobacco on pan as a 
new form of chewing). Many of the conventional uses 
of pan are remembered only through practice and are 
handed down from parents to children. Pan is chiefly 
used for chewing or for social purposes, rather than as a 
[ 205 ] 
