The Nepal Weekly 
January 7, 2025
demand for the upcoming Ramadan, one of Muslims’ holiest months of the year. The price rise has also been attributed to a fall in the output of spices in other producing nations like Bhutan and India.
Large cardamom (Elaichi), one of the world’s most expensive spices, was traded at Rs2,800 per kg in the Birtamode, Jhapa, in eastern Nepal, the key trading hub, last week.
This year, the holy month of Ramadan is expected to begin on Friday, February 28, or Saturday, March 1, 2025. The exact timing is based on the sighting of the moon. The local Muslim community uses large cardamom pods in popular biryani symbolizing prosperity and wealth.
Large cardamom prices reached a record high of Rs2,700 in 2014 but dropped to Rs850 in 2018, a dip of about 68 percent. The price again broke records in 2016, reaching an all-time high of Rs3,000 per kg. Prices began to decline steadily, sinking to a low of Rs700 per kg in mid-July 2022. Large Cardamom has three types depending on quality.
The selected high-quality large cardamom is sold at Rs2,800 per kg, while the other quality is traded at Rs2,700 and Rs2,600 per kg, respectively.
India is the biggest buyer of Nepal’s large cardamom, absorbing 99 percent of its exports. The spice is re-exported to Pakistan and the Middle East, where it fetches high prices because of local preference for Nepali products.
Pakistan is the largest importer of large cardamom, purchasing roughly 60 percent of India’s exports. Pakistanis use large cardamom pods in biryani, a famous fried rice dish, to symbolise prosperity and wealth.
Nepali large cardamom or black cardamom has a distinct flavour profile due to a specific method of postharvest drying in bhattis (ovens), which explains the roasted smell and taste.
The smoky flavour would overwhelm a sweet cake or pudding, but in a spice rub for roasted meat or a full-flavoured stew, it imparts a smouldering depth no other spice can, according to experts.
However, the traders said that production is expected to drop by 25 percent in Nepal due to a climate change-induced disease. The disease has affected old and new saplings of large cardamom in the last two years.
According to the Agriculture Ministry data, Nepal produced 9,545 tonnes of large cardamom in 2019-20. However, the output dropped to 8,289 tonnes in 2020-21. The 2021-22 production rose slightly to 8,714 tonnes, and over 10,000 tonnes in 2022-23.
Nepal is the largest producer of large cardamom, accounting for 68 percent of the global production, followed by India and Bhutan. The spice is grown in Sikkim, Darjeeling and Bhutan. Large cardamom was introduced in Ilam from Sikkim in 1865. Large cardamom exports surged by 11.65 percent in the first five months of the current fiscal year, which ended in mid-December.
