Sikkim, once the world's largest producer of large cardamom, is trying to regain its lost glory. Can it achieve the feat in the face of a changing climate?
AT 92, Til Bahadur Chhetri is a living witness of the rise and fall of large cardamom in Sikkim. Prized for its complex aroma, the exotic spice Amomum subulatum is grown across the eastern Himalayan region, including Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills in India. “Till the late 1990s, I used to get 40 sacks (about 2,000 kg) of dry large cardamom a year from my 7.2-hectare (ha) land. After that production started to decline,” says Bahadur, a resident of Hee Patal village in West Sikkim district. “Though it has improved in recent years, all I get now is a measly 300 kg,” he laments. In neighbouring Hee Martam village, Ganesh Chhetri, a young farmer, recounts a similar tale. “Just 10 years ago, my 2 ha land used to yield 300 kg of cardamom. It is now down to 100 kg,” says Ganesh, adding that the decline has forced farmers to shift to less lucrative crops like corn, vegetables and fodder.
The trend is evident across the Northeastern state, which till 2003- 2004 was regarded as the world’s largest producer of large cardamom. Though it continues to be the largest producer of large cardamom in India, the title of the world’s leading producer now rests with neighbouring Himalayan country, Nepal, which caters to about 68 per cent of the global market share of the spice.
A 2014 working paper by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), an intergovernmental learning and knowledge sharing centre based in Nepal, shows that the area under large cardamom in Sikkim increased from 19,912 ha to 22,714 ha between 1999 and 2004. That year, the state saw a record production of 5,152 tonnes of cardamom, up from 3,710 tonnes five years ago (see ‘Falling out of favour’).
Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin September 01, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Down To Earth dergisinin September 01, 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Look Beyond Dust
Reinvent National Clean Air Programme to focus on fine particulate matter and trans-boundary pollution
PLAN THEM COOL
As urban India turns into a heat trap, the government must focus on improving cities' liveability
Vision 2030
Economic growth must take into account needs of energy transition, climate mitigation, with action aligned as per India's 2030 climate goals
FIX OUR FOOD
Chemical-dependent farming, lax labelling laws, rising anti-microbial resistance must top the agenda
BATTLE THE CAR BULGE
Clean, affordable, integrated and accessible public transport the only solution
CONSERVE NOW
Disregard for biodiversity conservation over the past two decades needs immediate redressal
SCRAP THE DUMP
Disincentivise garbage dumping, invest in behavioural change
THINK LONG-TERM
India needs continued emphasis on flagship programmes, aligned to long-term planning that focusses on water security and circular economy in a climate-risked era
OVERHAUL OVERDUE
Hold polluting industries accountable for public health risks, environmental hazards, climate change; provide them support for green transition
IT'S NOW OR NEVER
Clean energy sectors need demand-driven markets and domestic industries that can cater to the entire value chain