Ramechhap, November 21

Cardamom farmers were saddened after the price of cardamom fell unexpectedly in the high hilly areas of Ramechhap.

Farmers had sold cardamom at Rs 3,000 per kg last year. This year, they have been compelled to sell at Rs 600 per kg.

Farmers who had set foot into commercial cardamom farming looked dejected after the price slumped. Dinesh Basnet, a local farmer at Umakunda Rural Municipality said farmers could not produce as much cardamom as expected due to continuous rainfall. “We have been compelled to sell cardamom at low price despite reduced production,” he said. Basnet added he had stored around 10 tonnes cardamom at his house with the hope that the price would increase. The land at Gumdel, Bamti, Kuvukasthali, Preety, Bhuji and Gupteshwor, among other places of Umakunda Rural Municipality, was deemed best for cardamom farming. The farmers had planted three types of cardamom in their field.

The businessmen did not visit farmers after the price of cardamom went down. The farmers stored the cardamom. “Businessmen from Jhapa, Biratnagar, Birgunj and Kathmandu had reached the farmers’ house to buy cardamom earlier,” said Temba Sherpa of Bamti. He said the local farmers were compelled to sell at very low price.