Heidrun Brückner describes the Billavas of the nineteenth century as "frequently small tenant farmers and agricultural labourers working for Bunt landowners." Writing in 1930, Iyer described the community as being involved mostly in toddy tapping, although they also had involvements in agriculture and in some areas were so in the form of peasant tenant landholders known as raiyats.
Heidrun Brückner characterizes the Billavas of the nineteenth century as "frequently small tenant farmers and agricultural laborers working for Bunt landowners." In 1930, Iyer described the community primarily involved in toddy tapping but also had connections to agriculture and some were peasant tenant landholders known as raiyats.