ABSTRACT
Among the various species of cymbopogons numbering approximately 120, only four are of commercial importance, namely, Cymbopogon winterianus, C. nardus (citronella), C. flexuosus (lemongrass), and C. martinii var. motia (palmarosa). Essential oils extracted from mainly leaves and aboveground parts of these plants are valued commercially and traded globally (Anonymous 1986). Accurate production, trade, and export and import figures from third world countries, and even some Western countries, are obscure (Lawrence 1985, 1986, 1993). It has been mentioned in some old references that reliable trade data are available for oils produced in the United States only (Simon 1990). However, export and import data from India are available up to country level. The statistics for export and import data for India are collected from available entry points, which include seaports, airports, and land routes. The export data, thus, is inclusive of both exports and re-exports.
