Economy of Kerala

Macro-economic trend

This is a chart of trend of gross state domestic product of Kerala at market prices estimated by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation with figures in millions of Indian Rupees.Kerala had recorded a growth rate of 6.49 per cent in 2013, which was above the national average (4.04) and the second highest among South Indian States. The state’s growth rate was above that of Karnataka (5.79 per cent) and Andhra Pradesh (5.97 per cent).

The state's debt was estimated at 29.53 per cent of GDP in 2013. State's debt liability recorded an increase of 14.4 per cent and rose from Rs 1,24,081 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 1,41,947 crore in 2014-15. This liability as a percentage of GSDP was 31.4 per cent, which is higher than the target of 29.8 per cent fixed in the Kerala Fiscal Responsibility Act.

Agriculture

Kerala produces 97% of national output of pepper and accounts for 85% of the area under natural rubber in the country. Coconut, tea, coffee, cashew, and spices — including cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg — comprise a critical agricultural sector. A key agricultural staple is rice, with some six hundred varieties grown in Kerala's extensive paddy fields. Nevertheless, home gardens comprise a significant portion of the agricultural sector. Related animal husbandry is also important, and is touted by proponents as a means of alleviating rural poverty and unemployment among women, the marginalised, and the landless. Feeding, milking, breeding, management, health care, and concomitant micro-enterprises all provide work for around 3.2 million of Kerala's 5.5 million households. The state government seeks to promote such activity via educational campaigns and the development of new cattle breeds such as Sunandini.

The most essential or the staple crop is the rice or paddy. About 600 varieties of rice are grown in the sprawling paddy fields of Kerala. In fact the Kuttanad region of the district of Kerala is known as the 'rice bowl of the state' and enjoys a significant status in the production of rice.

Next to rice is Tapioca and is cultivated mainly in the drier regions. Tapioca is a major food of the Keralites. Besides production of the main crop, Kerala is also a major producer of spices that form the cash crops of the state.The important spices are cardamom, cinnamon, clove, turmeric, nutmeg and vanilla.

Other cash crops that constitute the agricultural sector include tea, coffee cashew, pulses, areca nut, ginger and coconut. In fact coconut provides the principal source of income in Kerala- from coir industry to coconut shell artifacts. Cashew is also an essential cash crop. Kottayam district has extensive areas producing and processing rubber. Apart from rubber, other plantation crop likes plantains or bananas are also grown in plenty.

National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO) conducted a Situation Assessment Survey in 2013. According to their data, as opposed to 57.8% of national households declaring themselves as agricultural, 27.3% did so in Kerala. And of those households in Kerala, nearly two-thirds earn income from activities other than agriculture.

In 1960-61, Kerala contributed to nearly 70% of the country’s coconut production. In 2011-12, it was at 42%. It dropped further by 2.3% points the next year. According to the State Planning Board (2011) data, the state is producing only about 12% of its total requirement for rice. In 1960-61 Kerala produced more than 10 lakh tons of rice. By 2012-13 rice production was down to 5.08 lakh tons. By 2012-13, in just a single year, area under rice cultivation had declined by 5.2%, and the production itself dropped by 10.2%.

Alcohol

The government enforces state monopoly over liquor sale in the state, after the state banned foreign liquor shops, through the government owned Kerala State Beverages Corporation (KSBC). Every year, liquor sales have been rising and the total sales of liquor and beer during 2010-11 fiscal year was expected to be about Rs. 67 billion.

The government applies the highest state tax on liquor (around 120%). The total revenue from taxes on liquor was Rs. 55.39 billion in 2009-10. Kerala has the highest per capita consumption, over eight litres (1.76 gallons) per person per year, in the nation, overtaking traditionally hard-drinking states like Punjab and Haryana. Rum and brandy are the preferred drinks in Kerala in a country where whisky outsells every other liquor. Taxes on alcohol was a major source of revenue for the state government, but of late, it has been showing a declining trend. Only 4.2% of revenues for its annual budget come from liquor sales. Revenues from alcohol to the state's exchequer have registered a 100% rise over the past four years.

Kerala famously accounts for about 14 per cent liquor consumption in India, but volumes have been going marginally down. Liquor sales stood at 201 lakh cases worth Rs.11,577 crore during 2015-16, down from 220 lakh cases worth Rs.10,013 crore during the previous year. Gross sales during the first three months of 2016 were around Rs.4,000 crore.

Tourism

Kerala is an established tourist destination for both Indians and non-Indians alike. Tourists mostly visit, Fort Kochi, Mattanchery, Cherai, Kappad the hill stations of Munnar, Nelliampathi, Wayanad and Ponmudi, and national parks and wildlife sanctuaries such as Periyar and Eravikulam National Park. The "backwaters" region – an extensive network of interlocking rivers, lakes, and canals that center on Veli, Akkulam, Alleppey, Kumarakom, and Punnamada – also see heavy tourist traffic. Examples of Keralite architecture, such as the Padmanabhapuram Palace, Malik Deenar Mosque Kasaragod, Paradesi Synagogue are also visited. Kochi has the highest number of international and domestic tourist arrivals in Kerala. And the major city in kerala known as Kochi, Other cities like Kozhikode (Land of Zamorins) and Alappuzha(called the "Venice of the East") are also popular destinations. Tourism plays an important role in the state's economy. Kerala is also a preferred destination for night dwellers and the nightlife districts in Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur, Kottayam and Kollam are the major centres.

BSE listed Kerala companies

1. State Bank of Travancore
2. Federal Bank
3. Dhanlaxmi Bank
4. South Indian Bank
5. Cochin Minerals and Rutile Limited
6. Kerala Solvent Extractions Ltd
7. Manappuram General Finance and Leasing Ltd
8. Muthoot Finance
9. Harrisons Malayalam
10. Accel Transmatic Limited
11. Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services Limited
12. GTN Textiles Limited
13. Kitex Garments
14. Nitta Gelatin India Ltd
15. Eastern Traders
16. Rubfila International LTD
17. Kerala Ayurveda Ltd
18. Vertex Securities Ltd
19. V-Guard Industries Ltd
20. Sree Sakthi Paper Mills
21. AVT Natural Products

Foreign remittances

In a state of 32 million where unemployment approaches 20 percent, one out of six employed Keralite now works overseas. As of 2008, the Gulf countries altogether have a Keralite population of more than 2.5 million, who send home annually a sum of USD 9.25 billion, which is more than 15.13% of Remittance to India in 2008. Large numbers work in construction. High literacy allows Keralites to secure administrative employment & white collar jobs. Foreign remittances augment the state's economic output by nearly 25 percent. Migrants' families are three times as likely as those of nonmigrants to live in superior housing, and about twice as likely to have telephones, refrigerators and cars. Pathanamthitta and Thrissur districts have on an average one member from each household a non-resident Indian.

Of the $71 billion in remittances sent to India in 2012, Kerala still received the highest among the states: $11.3 billion, which is nearly 16%.

According to a study commissioned by the Kerala State Planning Board, the state should look for other reliable sources instead of relying on remittances to finance its expenditure.

Banking

Kerala is the single largest originator of education loans for the country as a whole.Total disbursal of education loans amount to Rs. 60 billion.

Infrastructure

Kerala has 145,704 km of roads (4.2% of India's total). This translates into about 4.62 km of road per thousand population, compared to an all-India average of 2.59 km. Virtually all of Kerala's villages are connected by road. Traffic in Kerala has been growing at a rate of 10–11% every year, resulting in high traffic and pressure on the roads. Total road length in Kerala increased by 5% between 2003-2004. The road density in Kerala is nearly four times the national average, and is a reflection of Kerala's unique settlement patterns. India's national highway network includes a Kerala-wide total of 1,524 km, which is only 2.6% of the national total. There are eight designated national highways in the state. Upgrading and maintenance of 1,600 km of state highways and major district roads have been taken up under the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), which includes the GIS-based Road Information and Management Project (RIMS). Kerala ranks second nationwide in diesel-based thermal electricity generation with national market share of over 21%.