Lamjung farmers earn Rs 200m from black cardamom

LAMJUNG: Farmers in Lamjung district have earned Rs 200 million from the sale of black cardamom this year. A total of 380 metric tons of black cardamom was sold in the district in the year, according to the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernisation Project Implementation Unit, Lamjung. The commercial farming of black cardamom began in 2041 BS in Lamjung. The district witnessed the sales of a record amount of black cardamom this year. Farmers sold black cardamom at a minimum price of Rs 550 to 700 per kg compared to Rs 950 to 1500 per kg last year.  The farmers earned Rs182 million from the sale of 3,500 quintals of black cardamom last year. Compared to the previous year, black cardamom production has increased this year. The production, as well as sale of black cardamom, has doubled this year compared to last year, said Ash Bahadur Gurung of Marshyangdi Rural Municipality-5. He shared that this year he earned about Rs 555,000, which was Rs 400,000 the previous year. Out of 95 households in Gurung's village, 85 households are cultivating black cardamom commercially. The farmers have however complained about the fluctuating price of black cardamom. The farmers have been compelled to sell at much lower prices compared to the past. Farmers say that due to India's monopoly, they are not getting the price of black cardamom seeds as much as they should be. Although reports say that black cardamom is being cultivated in an area of more than 1,000 hectares of land in the district it is actually being produced only in 500 hectares. Black cardamom is cultivated in Besisahar Municipality, Marshyangdi Kholasothar, Dordi and Dudhpokhari rural municipalities have been declared as cardamom pocket areas. READ ALSO:

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