The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation, Ministry of Agriculture, is the nodal agency in India which deals with various aspects of plantation crops. It is, not only, engaged in formulation of national policies, schemes and programmes for promoting entrepreneurship in the sector, but also supplements and complements the efforts being made by the State Governments to promote production and productivity of varied plantation crops.

Further, the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) has been set up as the pioneering institute in India for conducting research on plantation crops. It was established in 1916, but subsequently brought under the mandate of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) during 1970. Its initial mandate was on crop husbandry of coconut, arecanut, cocoa, oil palm, cashew and spices. However, the restructuring process resulted in the establishment of separate Research Institute/Centres for Spices, Cashew and oil palm, but the CPCRI continued to maintain strong linkage with these institutes. The main aim of the institute is to develop appropriate production, protection and processing technologies for coconut, arecanut and cocoa through basic and applied research. Its other objectives are to:-

• act as a national repository for the genetic resources of plantation crops.
• produce parental lines and breeders’ stock.
• develop improved palm based cropping/farming systems through more effective use of natural resources to increase productivity and income from unit area.
• collect, collate and disseminate information on the mandate crops to all concerned.
• co-ordinate research on the mandate crops within the country and execute the research programmes under the All India Co-ordinated Research Project on Palms.
• transfer technologies developed at CPCRI to the farmers through the co-operation of developmental departments.

There is also a 'Coconut Development Board (CDB)', under the Ministry of Agriculture, which is responsible for the integrated development of coconut cultivation and industry in the country, with focus on productivity increase and product diversification. The Board has its Headquarters at Kochi in Kerala and Regional Offices at Bangalore in Karnataka, Chennai in Tamil Nadu and Patna in Bihar. There are six State Centres situated at Bhubaneswar in Odisha, Calcutta in West Bengal, Guwahati in Assam, Agartala in Tripura and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh and Port Blair in the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The thrust areas of the Board are:- (i) increasing the production of quality planting material; (ii) creating future production potential by bringing more area under coconut; (iii) improving productivity of existing coconut holdings; (iv) promoting integrated management of major pests and diseases; and (v) strengthening coconut industry by promoting product diversification and by-product utilization.

The main functions of the Coconut Board are:-

• Adopting measures for the development of coconut industry, inter alia.
• Imparting technical advice to those engaged in coconut cultivation and industry.
• Providing financial and other assistance for the expansion of area under coconut.
• Encouraging adoption of modern technologies for processing of coconut and its products.
• Adopting measures to get incentive prices for coconut and its products.
• Recommending measures for improving marketing of coconut and its products.
• Recommending measures for regulating imports and exports of coconut and its products.
• Fixing grades, specifications and standards for coconut and its products.
• Financing suitable schemes to increase the production of coconut and to improve the quality and yield of coconut.
• Assisting, encouraging, promoting and financing agricultural, technological, industrial or economic research on coconut and its products.
• Collecting statistics on coconut and its products and publishing them.
• Undertaking publicity activities and publishing books and periodicals on coconut and its products.

Further, there is a Tea Board of India, which has been set up under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, for promoting sound development of tea industries in India. The main functions of tea board include rendering financial and technical assistance for cultivation, manufacture, marketing of tea; promoting tea exports; aiding research and developmental activities for augmentation of tea production and improvement of tea quality as well as encouraging and assisting small growers sector financially and technically.

The Coffee Board of India is an autonomous body, functioning under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, which serves as a guide of the coffee industry in India. The Board focuses on research, development, extension, quality upgradation, market information, and the domestic and external promotion of Indian coffee.

There is Rubber Board, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, which is actively engaged in the development of the rubber industry in India. It perform various activities like assisting and encouraging scientific, technical and economic research in the area of rubber; supplying technical advice to rubber growers; and training growers regarding improved methods of plantation and cultivation.

Besides, the Directorate of Cashewnut and Cocoa Development is a national agency primarily engaged in the overall development of cashew and cocoa in India. The major objectives with which the Directorate functions are:-

• Formulation and execution of various development programmes on cashewnut and cocoa in the country.
• Monitoring the effective implementation of the development programmes in the States.
• Functioning as a feed back agency for the Development and Research Institutes in the country for planning and execution of cashewnut and cocoa production, marketing and other allied programmes.
• Exploiting the waste lands for the development of cashew in public and private sector lands.
• Rendering technical advice and suggestions to remove the bottlenecks confronting execution of development programmes.
• Shouldering the responsibility of reviewing the development programmes, taking steps for adoption and dissemination of advanced techniques in respect of production, processing and marketing, assessing the requirements and fulfilling the needs of the project with specific reference to input requirements and identifying sources of supply.
• Functioning as a data bank on crop, area production, price trends, marketing and trade performance of export, import and internal situations.
• Functioning as an advisory body, to recommend, watch and monitor the various aspects of crop development, marketing and by-products utilization.
• Assisting in improving the marketing of the commodity.
• Maintaining close liaison with States and Central Institutions.
• Taking up intensive publicity measures such as publishing journals, pamphlets etc. and participation in seminars and exhibitions.

The Cashew Export Promotion Council of India (CEPC) was also established by the Government of India in the year 1955, with the active cooperation of the cashew industry with the object of promoting exports of cashew kernels and cashewnut shell liquid from India. By its very set up, the Council provides the necessary institutional framework for performing the different functions that serve to intensify and promote exports of cashew kernels and cashewnut shell liquid. It provides the necessary liaison for bringing together foreign importers with member exporters of cashew kernels. It also extends its good offices in settling complaints amicably in the matter of exports/imports either on account of quality and /or variation in fulfillment of contractual obligations.