Lamjung, November 2

A heavy fall in the prices of cardamom has left farmers worried in Lamjung.

Many cardamom farmers have decided to hoard their produce after the price witnessed a sharp decline. Compared to the previous year’s price of Rs 2,200 per kilogram, this year cardamom is fetching just Rs 13, 00 per kg.

According to District Agriculture Development Office, Lamjung most of the farmers have picked their produce and are holding on to it in the hopes of getting a better price in the coming days.

Cardamom trader Ajay Tamang said farmers would readily sell their produce as soon as the price goes up. In the meantime, farmers said cardamom production had gone up as the farmers cultivating the cash crop had increased.

Migrant workers and others leaving for cities too have returned and started cultivating cardamon. Man Prasad Gurung, who returned from Dubai and started cardamom farming, said production was likely to double as the number of people farming cardamon had gone up exponentially.

According to DADO, production stood at 620 quintals last year; earning over Rs 136 million rupees.

Senior agriculture development officer Krishnabhadra Adhikary at DADO said that his office had been providing all necessary assistance .Adhikary said that the highly valued spice was being cultivated in most Lamjung VDCs including Faleni, Dhodeni, Ilampopkhari, Bichaur, Gauda, Bhulbhule, Bhoje, Pasgaun.