MYAGDI: Cardamom cultivation launched on a trial basis in Musung village of Beni Municipality-3, Myagdi, has proved successful, prompting farmers to expand production commercially.
Padam Pun, chairperson of Beni Municipality-3, said more farmers had begun cultivating cardamom after plants grown in the forest area of Charkhola started producing well. The trial cultivation began three years ago.
Cardamom is now being grown on more than 20 ropanis of land after bushes were cleared from barren and wetland areas. Favourable climatic conditions, suitable geography, market access, and attractive prices have encouraged farmers to take up the crop.
Around 50 years ago, a landslide destroyed cultivable land in the area, leaving it barren. The success of cardamom farming has created new opportunities to bring such land back into productive use.
Known as “black gold,” cardamom is widely cultivated in the hilly districts of Koshi Province in eastern Nepal. Agricultural technicians say the crop grows at elevations ranging from 800 to 1,800 metres above sea level.
Akriti Dhungana, an agriculture officer at Beni Municipality, said three varieties of cardamom—Ramshahi, Golshahi, and Dammar Shahi—are cultivated in Nepal.