LAMJUNG: Cardamom farmers in Lamjung district are busy picking the commercially planted spice. Cardamoms planted below the altitude of 1,200 metres at Tara Chok of Marshyangdi Rural Municipality-7 in the district have become ready for harvest.

Cardamom is commercial planted in 150 ropani land in Tara Chok area of the rural municipality.

According to a cardamom farmer, Santa Bahadur Adhikari, as the spice ripened early this year, the picking also began early. Adhikari has cultivated cardamom in 10 ropani land on which he used to plant paddy in earlier years.

Similarly, another farmer Gum Bahadur Tamang, busy picking cardamom, claimed that he expects to produce three quintals of cardamoms on 13 ropani land. Tamang claimed that he produced 1.4 quintal last year, earning Rs 300,000.

The cardamoms that are being picked in the district are of 'Dambar Shahi', 'Jirmale', and 'Saune' species, informed chair of Nepal Cardamom Entrepreneurs Federation, Gandaki Province, Ajay Tamang. He is also the coordinator of Cardamom Zone Operators Committee of the Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project.

Tamang further informed that cardamoms cultivated in the district are picked in three stages. 'Saune', 'Jirmale' and 'Dambar Shahi' planted at the altitude of 700-1,200 metres are picked in mid-August. 'Gol Shahi' species planted at the altitude of 1,200-1,600 metres are picked from mid-September while 'Ram Shahi' and 'Bhalange' species of cardamom planted at the altitude of 1,600-2,200 metres will be ready to pick from mid-October.

According to Tamang, cardamom is being produced on 700 hectares of land while the spice has been expanded on a total area of 1,200 hectares from which the production is expected in a few years' time.

The crop had brought in Rs 45 million last year alone in the district. Cardamoms produced in the district are sold in various Gulf nations, Bangladesh, Pakistan and India via Birtamod.