According to a Commerce and Industry Ministry report, these crops are grown in about 16 lakh hectares and they provide direct employment to about 17.10 lakh workers. Though the plantation crops occupy only about 1 per cent of the total cropped area, they generate about 15 per cent of the total agricultural export earnings. The report has also stated that the growers of plantation commodities are vulnerable to large risks in terms of production caused by adverse climatic conditions, as also to price risks caused by demand and supply situations and changes in domestic and international prices. "The plantation crops are traded in an extremely competitive international market, which causes enhanced vulnerability in times of severe price drop. Cartelisation and indirect subsidies in international markets further increase price risks," it had said. On the other hand, India needs to remain a credible supplier in the global market for which price stability is an essential consideration.