Khotang, February 12

Khotang earned more than Rs 920 million from the export of cardamom this year.

According to the District Agriculture Development Office, Khotang, the district earned more than Rs 920 million by exporting 5273.2 tons of cardamom.

Senior agriculture development officer Shyam Prasad Ghimire said of the total cardamom produced, 6.5 per cent was sold in the district itself.

According to Ghimire, Phedi and Sungdel VDCs had produced 140 tons of cardamoms each. These VDCs received more than 30 million each from the sale of cardamom.

Khotang chairman of Cardamom Entrepreneurs’ Association Bir Bahadur Tamang said middlemen had cheated cardamom farmers in the pretext of blockade and fuel shortage.

“We had anticipated earning more than Rs 1 billion.

But, some middlemen came to the farmers’ doors and procured our produce at low price,” said Tamang. Of 1,320 hectares of land in 34 VDCs, including, Phedi, Baspani, Baksila, Hauchur, Kuvinde, Nunthala, Chisapani, Nerpa, Bopung, Diktel, cardamom is grown in 940 hectares.

The agriculture office estimates that cardamom production will go up next year as more farmers are attracted to cardamom farming. Khotang had earned more than Rs 800 million from the sale of cardamom last year.

Administrative Officer at the District Administration Office, Khotang, Narhari Sapkota said that despite huge export of cardamom, the district had failed to collect export duty.