Small cardamom expected to rise on festive demand

05-Sep-2024 08:08 PM

Kochi. Due to unfavourable weather conditions and natural disasters in Kerala this year, there is a possibility of a sharp decline in the production of small (green) cardamom,

while the plucking and preparation of new stock has also been delayed. Kerala is the most prominent producer of small cardamom in the country.

According to experts, there was a lack of rain in Kerala during the pre-monsoon season from February to May, while there was heavy rain in July-August.

This caused a lot of damage to the crop. Some analysts are expressing the possibility of a sharp decline of up to 50 percent in production this time compared to last year.

Usually, sporadic plucking and preparation of new stock of cardamom starts from the end of June or beginning of July and starts gaining momentum from mid-July, but this time there was no plucking or it was negligible till the last week of August.

Now the arrival of new stock is expected to start. But there is no sign of a rise in prices. According to analysts,

in view of the possibility of a sharp fall in production, the price of small cardamom was expected to jump to a high of 3200-3500 rupees per kg, but due to many reasons, there is no indication of this yet. Firstly,

the previous stock is lying in the consumption centers and secondly, due to heavy rains in northern India, dealers are facing difficulty in reaching Kerala and purchasing it.

The export demand for cardamom is also not very strong. But now with the demand of the festive season,

its price may rise a bit, which is currently running between 2100-2500 rupees per kg in the production centers.