Thiruvananthapuram, April 22 (IANS)
Kerala which leads the country with a
giant share of 89 per cent of the total production of cardamom, is
finding its growers in a difficult situation. The cardamom growers are
reeling as COVID-19 has hit them very hard.
The growers sell their produce by participating in the auction, held at
Bodinayakkanur in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu, which lies close to
the Thekkady tourist location in the Idukki district in Kerala.
In Kerala, Idukki is the home of cardamom growers who own large and
small holdings and the total area under cardamom cultivation is around
38,000 hectares.
Though there is an auction centre at Vandanmeddu in Idukki district, the
auction centre in Bodinayakkanur is the single most popular centre, as
far as the cardamom auction is concerned.
Speaking to IANS, Sunny Mathew, executive member of the Cardamom Growers Association said things are bleak and getting bad.
"Ours is a product which fetches the highest price when the colour of
the cardamom is best and fresh. Any delay in getting the product out of
our farms spells danger. Sadly it''s been a month now as the premier
auction centre is closed. We have never ever had such a long delay and
it comes at a time when the prices were looking bright," said Mathew, a
grower and also an exporter.
Cardamom from Kerala farms is auctioned and it goes to north India and for exports.
The peak market for this high quality and popular spice, used for baking
and cooking purpose across the globe, begins when the yield is taken
from September and tapers in January.
"This time the production has come down from 28,000 tones, last year to
around 18,000 tones. When production comes down, the price rises and in
January this year a kilogram of cardamom touched Rs 3,000 and when the
lockdown began it was around Rs 2,300," said Mathew.
With Bodinayakkanur now declared as a hotspot for Covid-19, things are
going to be bad and it would prevent auctioneers and their agents to
arrive there.
"We want the government to come to our support. The Spices Board should
take our products and based on our cost of production, they should lift
our stock. If it does not happen, then the production would be seriously
affected this year, as we do not have funds to invest. Also liberal
moratoriums with regards to interest waiver and repayment also should be
there," said Mathew.
--IANS
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