JHAPA, Aug 19: Large cardamom, popularly known as the “black gold of the eastern hills,” has fetched its highest price in seven years at the start of the harvest season.
In Birtamode, the country’s largest cardamom trading hub, the spice was sold at Rs 94,000 per man (40 kg) on Monday, according to Anil Dhungana, executive director of the Federation of Large Cardamom Entrepreneurs’ Association. “This is a very good price,” Dhungana said, noting that during the same period last year, prices stood at around Rs 40,000 per man.
Farmers worried as cardamom prices fall
The last time cardamom reached such levels was in 2018, when prices climbed to Rs 105,000 per man early in the season and peaked at Rs 107,000 by December. The record, however, remains Rs 120,000 per man, set in 2010.
Dhungana said the current spike indicates potential further increases by December-January. Farmers, who invest about Rs 20,000 to produce one man of cardamom, are directly benefiting from the surge. Traders, meanwhile, typically stockpile during the season to sell later when prices rise, earning significant profits.
Cardamom is cultivated in 42 districts of Nepal, with Koshi Province accounting for the largest share, especially in Panchthar, Taplejung, Ilam, Sankhuwasabha, Khotang, Bhojpur, and Tehrathum. More than 7,500 hectares in the province are under cardamom cultivation.
According to the Mechi Customs Office, cardamom worth Rs 7.67 billion was exported to India via Kakarbhitta in fiscal year 2024/25. Around 90 percent of Nepal’s production is exported, mostly to India, where it is rebranded before reaching global markets. Nepali cardamom has yet to establish direct access to international buyers.
