Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s black cardamom exports in terms of value have reached a record high in the first 11 months of the current fiscal year.
According to the Department of Customs (DoC), the country exported 6.03 million kilograms of black cardamom worth Rs 12.01 billion between mid-July 2025 and mid-June 2026. With this, black cardamom became the country’s second-largest export product in the review period after refined soybean oil.
With one month remaining in the fiscal year, export earnings from the high-value spice have already surpassed all previous annual records. The latest figures suggest Nepali farmers are benefiting from stronger prices. In 2022/23, Nepal exported a much larger volume of 9.99 million kg of cardamom, but earned only Rs 8.27 billion. By contrast, the lower export volume this year generated more than Rs 12 billion in earnings.
Black cardamom exports have grown steadily in recent years. Nepal exported 4.30 million kg worth Rs 7.68 billion in 2024/25, when the spice ranked as the country’s fourth-largest export product after refined soybean oil, sunflower oil and hand-knotted carpets. In 2023/24, exports stood at 5.01 million kg worth Rs 7.94 billion. During the period, the spice was Nepal’s second-largest export after hand-knotted carpets.
The commodity was also the fourth-largest export product in 2022/23 despite a record shipment volume of 9.99 million kg. In 2021/22, exports totaled 5.36 million kg worth Rs 4.81 billion. That year, black cardamom ranked seventh among the country’s export products.
According to customs data, almost all of Nepal’s black cardamom exports are destined for India. Traders say the spice is processed and branded in India and re-exported to international markets, including Pakistan and countries in the Middle East, as Indian products. They added that re-exported Nepali black cardamom can fetch as much as $28 per kg in international markets, while Nepali farmers typically sell their produce to Indian buyers for less than Rs 2,000 per kg, or around $14.
Despite being the world’s largest producer of black cardamom, accounting for more than 55% of the total production, Nepal is losing out on higher export earnings due to the lack of domestic processing facilities and value addition.
Most of the country’s black cardamom is grown in the eastern hill and mountain districts of Taplejung, Ilam, Sankhuwasabha, Panchthar and Tehrathum.
Over the past decade, export earnings from the spice have fluctuated considerably. Earnings fell to Rs 3.83 billion in 2014/15, rose to Rs 4.63 billion the following year, and slipped again to Rs 3.9 billion in 2016/17. Between 2017/18 and 2019/20, annual export earnings remained relatively stable at above Rs 4 billion before surging to Rs 6.93 billion in 2020/21.
