Plantation economy which today dominates the economies of many developing countries of the world,mostly erstwhile colonies, historically has been recognized as outgrowth of political colonization of the tropical areas by metropolitan countries.Although the emergence of plantation sector in different parts of the world has made some contribution to the growth of the local economies, plantation sector is not without pitfalls and has been a subject of serious criticism. However, despite being criticized for its historical role in perpetuating asymmetrical structures between the developed and the developing countries plantation economy refuses to go away. In fact, in recent times in the developing societies like India, one witnesses the emergence of new forms of plantations of various cash crops at the expense of traditional crops. While some, including state agencies, celebrate the development potential of the new plantations, others deplore them for their possible adverse fall out on the society and economy of the developing societies. Thus, it is very important to understand plantation in a world-frame of reference, both historically and geographically and not as an economically isolated phenomenon in certain parts of the world. This paper presents a historical overview of the genesis and expansion of plantations in different of the world and discusses the dynamics of development, dependence and underdevelopment in plantation economies and their socio-economic consequences.
