India is the leading producer and exporter in the world of which of the following beverage crops?

Tea is the correct answer.

Key Points

• India is the leading producer and exporter in the world of Tea.
• India is also one of the world's top tea-drinking countries, with the domestic population eating 80% of the tea produced in the country.
• India is the world's second-largest tea producer.
• Assam and West Bengal produce the majority of the nation's annual tea production, accounting for 83% of the total in India's northern area in 2021-22.
• The Assam valley and Cachar are Assam's two tea-growing regions.
• West Bengal's three primary tea-producing regions are the Dooars, Terai, and Darjeeling.
• Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka are the top three generating states, accounting for 17% of total national output.

 Additional Information

• India is one of the top ten coffee-producing countries in the world. In 2022-23, India produced approximately 4,00,000 tons of coffee.
• Karnataka is India's major coffee grower, accounting for 70% of total coffee production.
• Kerala is the second-largest coffee grower, accounting for barely 23% of total production.
• Tamil Nadu is the third-largest producer, accounting for 6% of total coffee production.
• The Nilgiri district, a significant Arabica growing zone, produces Tamil Nadu's coffee.
• The production in Orissa and the northeastern areas is lower.
• South Indian coffee is a blend of coffee and chicory powder, a herb native to Europe and Asia.Chicory is mostly farmed in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
• India is the world's top producer (25% of global production), user (27% of global usage), and importer (14% of world imports) of pulses. The pulses account for approximately 20% of foodgrains area and provide approximately 7-10% of overall food grains produced across the country.