Scope To Boost Cardamom Cultivation In Up Hills

A Spices Board survey has indicated good scope for increasing the cultivation area and production of large cardamom in select pockets of hilly regions in Uttar Pradesh.

Growers in general, have shown interest and willingness to improve management practices of large cardamom crop. But there is need to provide technical assistance, high yielding planting materials and proper encouragement through well planned programme, the board said in its journal Spice India.

Large cardamom amomum subulatum has been cultivated to a certain extent in Garhwal and Kumaon hills of Uttar Pradesh during the last 40-50 years as a mixed crop with horticultural crops.

India is the largest producer and exporter of large cardamom with shipments from the country being 1,784 tonne during 1995-96.

The Spices Board had carried out the survey on a request from the UP State Horticulture Co-operative Marketing Federation to know about the variety and cultivars grown in the state.

While around 15 tonne of large cardamom is grown in Garhwal hills, in Kumaon hills the production was over 41 tonne annually.

The survey, carried out in May last, revealed cardamom was being cultivated as a commercial crop only by limited number of farmers who had small units.

The survey also found absence of any marketing strategy by the farmers, who usually produced the commodity for domestic purpose and to distribute amongst relatives and friends.

A well planned programmed could increase large cardamom production in the hilly regions of the northern state, it added.

A Spices Board survey revealed that cardamom production can get a big boost in the hilly regions of UP if the farmers are given proper guidance and aid.