KATHMANDU: Cardamom farmers have come across a worrying situation owing to the unanticipated market price of cardamom – the main source of income of mountainous region. The cardamom price has witnessed unexpected variations for the past few years.
It was quite tough for farmers to sell out their cardamom last year. However, they were hopeful of good price this year with the new production. Their optimism was shattered when the market price of the cardamom went down even than that of last year. Four years ago, the 40-kg cardamom product used to be sold out at over Rs 100,000 which was a matter of excitement for farmers from mountainous region.
With this the farmers increased loan investment in cardamom farming but the situation turned worse with the gradual decline in the price. “I took loan to increase investment in cardamom farming after its price exceeds Rs 100,000. In addition I decided to switch over my paddy farming into cardamom farming.
But the investment did not give return. Unfortunately we came to a situation to buy grains for daily life sustenance”, said Raj Kumar Bhattarai, a cardamom farmer of Sirijunga rural municipality-7, Khewang.
The farmers however have continued its farming with the hope of price adjustment. But there is no situation of reforms in marketization and pricing of cardamom products. Cardamom entrepreneurs said that the pricing would not see improvement until the products are directly exported to third countries except India.
The cardamom is being traded at Rs 25,500 per 40-KG which stood in the range of Rs 36,000 to Rs 27,000 last year. It was a sharp decline in the price in comparison to the price four years ago.
Dejected cardamom farmers said that the government should take further efforts to bring uniformity in its price and improve marketization of the cardamom products.
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