Letang cardamom farmers unhappy as production drops

By Hari Prasad Koirala,Urlabari, Aug. 30: Farmers of North Morang are now in a hurry to harvest cardamom. Although the price has doubled this year compared to the past, there is no smile on farmers’ face as the production decreased.

It has been a decade since the commercial cultivation of cardamom started in Letang Municipality, Miklajung and Kerabari Rural Municipality of North Morang.

In 2035 B.S., Hamser Limbu of the then Barangi Village Development Committee, now Letang Municipality-7, brought cardamom seedlings from Ilam and planted them for the first time.

After getting a better than expected yield, since then his family and the farmers of Barangi, Sinhadevi, Patigaun, Bhogateni, Ramitekhola and Yangsila are cultivating cardamom.

Adiman Limbu, who has been cultivating cardamom for the last 20 years, said that the production of cardamom has dropped by 50 per cent this year compared to last.

He said that around 400 kg (10 man) of cardamom was produced last year. It was sold for Rs. 30,000 per 40 kgs.

This year, the price of cardamom reached Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 65,000 per 40 kg, but the production has halved, he said.

He said that after the rotting of cardamom roots due to the various diseases, the whole cardamom field is destroyed.

Adiman Limbu has been cultivating cardamom in around 20-22 ropanies of land. Not only him, most of the farmers in the hilly villages of North Morang are cultivating cardamom in one ropani to 30 ropanies of land.

Limbu, who is also a local representative, said that farmers have started planting cardamom even in fields where corn, rice and millet used to be grown in the past.

The villages of North Morang still lack access to transportation and electricity. However, the farmers here are able to buy and eat rice with the money earned by selling cardamom, said Nagendra Limbu, former ward chairman of the same ward.

Purna Bahadur Limbu of Letang Municipality-7, Pitlumba planted cardamom in 10 ropanies of land.

There was great expectation when planting cardamom, he said, and added that after the disease occurred in the plant, only 20 kgs of cardamom was produced this year.

He said that around 120 kgs of cardamom was grown on the same land last year. It was sold for Rs. 30,000 per 40 kgs.

“This year, 20 kgs were grown, and sold for Rs. 60,000 per 40 kgs,” he said.

Another farmer Bal Bahadur Rai said that although the farmers were attracted to cardamom cultivation, the production was not satisfactory due to the inability to control the disease.

He said that production of cardamom has been affected due to lack of irrigation facilities.

He said that if there was an irrigation facility, Letang would have been able to earn billions of rupees from the sale of cardamom and broom grass.

Rai, the largest producer of cardamom in North Morang, sold 1,200 kgs of cardamom this year alone.

He said that the maize and millet cultivation had almost stopped in the village.

According to him, the people of North Morang have started buying rice by selling cardamom.

Rai said that the commercial cultivation of cardamom had started in the last few years even in Kerabari Rural Municipality-2.

According to him, there is no one in the village who does not cultivate tea, cardamom, ginger and Amliso.

According to Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Biratnagar, cardamom is being cultivated in 270 hectares in Morang. An average of 0.6 tonnes of cardamom is produced per hectare.