In the first four months of fiscal year 2082/83, the export of cardamom has increased by 109 per cent compared to the same period last year. According to experts at the Mechi border point, cardamom exports have increased sharply this year. Nepal shipped 1,823 metric tons of cardamom worth NPR 3.97 billion (USD 27.56 million), more than double last year’s export value.
Officials say rising demand and stronger prices helped fuel the jump. The rate for its trading has been as high as NPR 110,000(USD 764) per 40 kilograms, depending on its size and grade. Large-pod cardamom is currently the most valuable, followed by the tail-cut variety, while regular cardamom sells for the lowest price.
Nearly 98 per cent of Nepal’s cardamom continues to go to India, which remains the main gateway for the spice to reach global markets.
While cardamom has lifted the export numbers, tea tells a different story. Shipments of Nepali tea fell by 37.7 per cent in the same four months. Tea worth NPR 1.37 billion was exported, compared to NPR 2.20 billion (USD 15.27 million) in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
Other export commodities showed mixed trends. Veneer sheets, lentils, cauliflower, broccoli, and chhurpi recorded strong growth. While products such as plywood, broom grass, and iron sheets declined sharply. Despite the fluctuations, Mechi Customs reported that total exports through the checkpoint reached NPR 7.96 billion( USD 55.26 million) in the first four months of the fiscal year.
