Jhapa. The market price of cash crop cardamom has fallen.  Cardamom is being sold at Rs 81,000 to Rs 92,000 per kg per kilogram in Birtamode, the major trading hub of Nepal Cardamom Association, Deepak Nepal, said Deepak Nepal, central president of the Federation of Cardamom Entrepreneurs of Nepal.

The best quality cardamom is called ‘bold’. According to him, the current market price of ‘bold’ cardamom is Rs 92,000 per maund. Cardamom of normal quality is known as ‘Chalu’. The price of which is Rs 81,000 per person.

The price of cardamom known as ‘JJ’ is Rs 84,000 per kilogram. The market price of cardamom had skyrocketed in the first week of August. At that time, cardamom was being bought and sold at Rs 94,000 per kilogram.

According to Chairman Nepal, farmers have started selling cardamom in small quantities in the market to meet their household needs on the eve of Dashain festival and now the process of drying the cardamom is going on.

Cardamom farming is done in 42 districts of Nepal. Cardamom is cultivated in Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung, Sankhuwasabha, Khotang, Bhojpur and Tehrathum districts of Koshi Province. Cardamom farming is done on 7,500 hectares of land in Koshi Province and 17,000 hectares across the country, according to Cardamom Entrepreneurs Federation. Its total production in Nepal is up to eight thousand metric tons. Only 5 per cent of the production is consumed domestically and 95 per cent of the production is exported to foreign countries.

In the fiscal year 2081/82, cardamom worth Rs 7.67 billion was exported to India through Kakarvitta, according to the Mechi Customs Office.