2024- Bad Year for Cardamom Farmers

27-Dec-2024 10:31 AM

2024 was bad for cardamom
2024 has indeed been a challenging year for cardamom production, primarily due to adverse weather conditions and diseases. Here's a summary of the key points:
Heavy rainfall in January led to favorable early conditions, but drought from May severely affected the crop, causing 20-30% damage.
Small farmers were the hardest hit by these climatic changes.
By June, the crop began suffering from fungal infections, further decreasing yields.
Overall, production is expected to drop by 30-40%, with a forecast of 15-18 thousand tonnes in 2024 compared to 25 thousand tonnes in 2023.
This drop in availability is expected to drive up prices of green cardamom, which are likely to remain high in the early months of 2025.
Additionally, imports from Guatemala might increase to meet the demand, but Guatemala's own production dropped by 45%, with its total production falling to 17,500 tonnes in 2024-25.
Both India and Guatemala are seeing production declines, which has led to a bullish international market for cardamom.
The situation reflects a combination of climate challenges and reduced global supply, making cardamom a more expensive commodity in the near future.