ILAM:- Once merely a cash crop, large cardamom has now become a major source of income for farmers in Nepal’s hill districts and the earning of the growers has increased.
At present, cardamom is trading at around Rs. 90,000 to Rs. 95,000 per man (approximately 40 kg). Farmers are now busy weeding, cleaning plantations, and protecting the flowering pods.
According to Krishna Paudyal, President of the Ilam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, this year has seen the most favourable prices for cardamom in the past decade. “Ten years ago, the price had reached Rs. 100,000 per man. Then in 2022/23, it dropped as low as Rs. 32,000 per man,” he said.
Price peaked at Rs. 110,000 per man last December. Now, it is trading between Rs. 90,000 and Rs. 95,000 which, according to farmers, is still a decent price.
Paudyal added that Ilam alone exports cardamom worth around Rs. 3 billion annually. Farmers like Giriraj Khanal from Sandakpur Rural Municipality–2 consider cardamom a lucrative cash crop that yields high returns at low investment. Having cultivated cardamom on 45 ropanis of land, Khanal said that this year’s earnings are nearly double compared to last year.
After spending ten years abroad in foreign employment, Khanal returned home and took up cardamom cultivation, seeing it as a viable path to self-employment within the country. “I’ve been able to provide year-round employment to two people, and up to 500 workers during the season,” said Khanal. He advised that new saplings must be planted every three years to maintain production. “The old plants are prone to disease and begin to die, so replanting is essential. If farmers understand this, they can earn good income with minimal investment,” he said.
Khanal is just one example of many cardamom farmers in Ilam. According to the Cardamom Development Centre, farmers are growing cardamom in 54 districts across Nepal, covering a total of 14,383.5 hectares of land. The highest production is seen in the Koshi hill districts — particularly Ilam, Panchthar, Taplejung, Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, and Dhankuta, said Rajan Pariyar, head of the Centre. However, the exact number of cardamom farmers remains unknown.
Cardamom also ranked among the top export items last fiscal year. According to Mechi Customs Office in Jhapa, Nepal exported cardamom worth Rs. 7.67 billion in fiscal year 2024/25, with a total volume of 4.29 million kilograms.