Jhapa, November 8

A heavy fall in the price of cardamom this year has worried cardamom farmers in the eastern region.

The produce was sold for Rs 80,000 to Rs 83,000 per man (traditional measurement unit) last year this month. On the contrary, per man cardamom is fetching just around Rs 56,000 to Rs 60,000 this year, said Nepal Cardamom Entrepreneurs’ Federation Treasurer Subash Bhattarai.

Omkrishna Bimali, general secretary of the federation, attributed the price in cardamom prices to dependence on the Indian market for exports.

By and large, cardamom grown in Nepal is classified into three categories and prices are determined accordingly.

Cardamom farmer Dhyan Bahadur Tamang said cardamom transaction started off one-and-a-half months ago. “But, farmers are in dilemma whether or not to sell their produce,” Tamang said.

Half of the farmers in Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung, Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, and others, have started commercial production of cardamom. Cardamom farming, which was limited to eastern Nepal till a few years ago, is becoming popular across the country.

Bhattarai said around five lakhs families were involved in the cardamom farming in the country. The annual transaction of the cardamom stands at Rs 10 billion.