Organised market for large cardamom shortly

Gangtok, Jul 11 (UNI) An organised market for marketing of large cardamom, the main cash crop of Sikkim, will be evolved in next two to three months, Spices Board of India Director J Thomas said.

" We are working on it and hope to evolve a market system by September-October", Mr Thomas told reporters here.

A promotional drive highlighting the large cardamom's use as spice, flavouring agent for food products and medicines had already been launched, Mr Thomas said and hoped that it would boost up the demand for the spice in the international market.

The Spices Board, meanwhile, to boost farmers' earning advised them with technical knowhow to sale it in form of seeds and powder, which beget good return in term of money from the market.

Large Cardamon, also known as black cardamom, is an export oriented crop and has huge demand in Pakistan, United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Canada, Japan, Singapore, Hongkong and South Africa. It has also a high demand in the domestic market.

Sikkim, which produces about 4,500 tonne of large cardamom annually and held a market share of 85 per cent in domestic market, is now faces stiff competition from the neighbouring areas.

Sikkim which was once considered the largest producer of large cardamom and enjoyed monopoly over the production and marketing now faces competition from two himalayan nations- Nepal and Bhutan.

Some north Eastern States like Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh also started growing large cardamom.

Besides the competition, various diseases in the plants also badly affected the cardamom production in this tiny himalayan state over the last few years.

Mr Thomas said at least 50 per cent of the total 23,000 hectares land under cultivation in Sikkim were damaged due to diseases and needed immediate replantation. The incidence of disease was first reported in Goatak area in neighbouring Darjeeling district of West Bengal in 2003 and later spread to Rongli, Lingtam, Assam Lingey, Buria Khop, Sribadam, Mangan, Manual, Ravongla and Dzongu in Sikkim.

A team of experts, who visited the areas, said the diseases spread due to drastic change in the ecosystem, inadequate rain in dry months and absence of good agricultral practises by the farmers.

He said the production was less and the plants suffered from diseases as the farmers failed to plant cardmom plants suitable to the altitude.

He, however, ruled out the use of any chemical to get rid of the diseases and said use of chemical could give only a short term benefit not a complete solution.

Mr Thomas wanted the farmers to use bio-agents to manage the diseases and said the nature would take care of most of the problems. For example, he said, major problem would be solved if it rains adequately.

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