Sindhupalchowk. The farmers of Lisankhupakhar Rural Municipality-4, known as the pocket area of cardamom, are disappointed after the disease in cardamom. The cultivation has been destroyed due to the decay of the songs, the burning of leaves and the lack of fruit.

In the past, farmers had cultivated cardamom after earning enough income. Over the years, cardamom production has declined due to the disease. Some farmers have stopped farming due to the disease in cardamom. They demanded that the government should help in diagnosing the disease seen in Arlenchi.

Shashinath Shakya, who had been in cardamom business for 15 years, earned Rs 500,000 annually. But his business was ruined due to the disease of sindhure and gaano rot in cardamom. Shakya, who earns millions of rupees by producing cardamom seedlings and selling cardamom furnaces, now neither produces cardamom seedlings nor sells ready-made cardamom.

Shakya, who taught this business to cardamom farmers of the district, used to distribute cardamom saplings throughout the district. But now he has left this business. He said that the community did not destroy it on its own after the community asked for help from the District Technical Office regarding the disease.

Even if the disease in cardamom is destroyed in one place, it does not end until it is destroyed all around. Farmer Shakya said that the locals have left other professions as it would be expensive to destroy cardamom.

Like Farmer Shakya, most of the farmers of Attarpur have stopped planting cardamom. He said that some farmers have started kibi business. Although it was expensive and took a lot of hard work to cultivate kibi in the beginning, the farmers have chosen this business after getting reliable income.

According to Shakya, who recently started a kiwi business, it costs at least Rs 5,000 to plant a kibi. According to Shakya, the kibi plant, which starts bearing fruit after three years, will produce up to 70 kg annually.

According to him, the market price of kibi, which has been bearing fruit for at least 10 years, is now being sold at Rs 300 to Rs 500 per kg from the farmers. Attarpur, which was called a pocket area of cardamom a few years ago, has turned into kibi farming.

Rural municipality chair Raju Lama said the municipality has not taken any concrete decision regarding the destruction of cardamom due to disease.