Expert group identifies challenges facing cardamom farmers in Bhojpur

KATHMANDU: Experts have identified the problems faced by cardamom farmers in the district. As various diseases and pest infestations have started to destroy cardamom farms, an expert group, along with the Cardamom Federation, visited the farms.

The initiative to identify the issues of cardamom farmers is being led by the Province 1 Government and the Nepal Business Cardamom Federation, as stated by Narayan Prasad Chimoria, the General Secretary of the Cardamom Federation.

After visiting the cardamom farms, he mentioned that the team is gathering information on issues like quality production and marketing.

To address the challenges faced by cardamom farmers and enhance quality production, a program aimed at providing knowledge and skills to farmers has been launched in collaboration with the provincial government.

The General Secretary shared that under this program, experts, along with stakeholders, are visiting the farms, discussing the problems, suggesting solutions, and offering guidance on quality production.

General Secretary Chimoria said, “We are identifying the issues with the farmers’ cardamom farms and providing solutions along with the necessary technical knowledge for quality production and marketing.”

The program is being conducted in the Temkemaiyung Rural Municipality-5 Cholanti of Bhojpur district, where the challenges of the farmers are being explored.

After visiting the farms in the region, Nirmal Bhandari, the president of the Nepal Cardamom Business Federation, stated that the team is identifying diseases and pest infestations on the cardamom plants, exploring possible solutions, and providing hands-on interviews with farmers regarding the issues.

Due to the recent rise in diseases affecting cardamom, which has caused a decline in production, this program aims to offer the necessary technical guidance to farmers.

Bhandari also mentioned that this program will be expanded to cover farmers’ cardamom farms in nine districts of the Province 1 region, where cardamom is predominantly cultivated.

“Recently, various issues have been emerging in cardamom farming,” Bhandari remarked. “These have led to the destruction of many farmers’ farms. To address this, we are providing the farmers with essential technical knowledge through on-site programs.”

During field monitoring, technical expert Dil Bahadur Shrestha from the Cardamom Development Center, Ilam, informed that farmers have been given essential information regarding diseases and treatment methods on their farms.

He mentioned that issues such as drying of plants and root rot diseases were prevalent in the area.

“We have provided farmers with information on disease control and treatment methods,” Shrestha explained. “We have also observed that despite providing some information, there were still challenges in addressing disease outbreaks, so we are continuing to offer guidance to boost production and encourage farmers.”

Mukesh Kumar Yadav, the head of the Agriculture Knowledge Center in the district, also highlighted that the program is aimed at addressing the issues farmers face and attracting them to cardamom farming.

“There has been a significant increase in bacterial and fungal diseases affecting cardamom,” Yadav said. “We are running this campaign to equip farmers with the skills to solve these problems on their own.”

Rajesh Bisht, the president of the district chapter of the Cardamom Business Federation, stated that efforts are underway to increase farmers’ income and production through various campaigns.

“Many farmers here are engaged in commercial cardamom farming,” Bisht said. “Lack of technical knowledge has caused farmers to face several challenges, and we are working on providing solutions, technical advice, and improving coordination in marketing.”

The local government, led by Saroj Basnet, the chairman of the municipality, is emphasizing the development and expansion of cardamom farming as it is the primary source of income for many farmers in the area.

“The municipality is focused on supporting farmers to ensure the continuity of their businesses and encourage the production of high-quality cardamom,” Basnet mentioned.

Chakr Bahadur Bisht, a farmer from Cholanti, Temkemaiyung-5, pointed out that price instability, along with diseases, has posed significant challenges for farmers.

He emphasized the need for support from the government in areas like marketing, providing skilled technicians, distributing high-quality seedlings, and conducting soil testing.