Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Black cardamom exports surged by nearly 37% in volume and 33% in value in the first quarter of the current fiscal year 2025/26, reaching 1072.20 tons worth Rs 1.68 billion. During the same period last year, the country exported 783.75 tons, valued at Rs 1.26 billion.
The spice was the country’s largest agricultural export during the review period.
According to the Department of Customs (DoC), all of the exports were destined for India, where the spice is processed, branded, and re-exported to other markets, including Pakistan and the Middle East, as “Made in India” products. The re-exported Nepali cardamom fetches prices of up to $28 per kilogram.
Farmers sell the produce to Indian buyers for less than Rs 2,000 (around $14 per kg).
Despite being the world’s largest producer of large cardamom, accounting for more than 55% of global output, the country is missing out on higher export earnings due to the lack of domestic processing facilities and value addition. Farmers in the eastern hills and mountains, particularly in Taplejung, Ilam, Sankhuwasabha, Panchthar and Tehrathum, are forced to sell their produce to Indian buyers at lower prices. These five districts together account for over 80% of Nepal’s total cardamom production.
In the previous fiscal year 2024/25, Nepal exported black cardamom worth approximately Rs 7.67 billion. Although export volume dipped slightly from the year before, total earnings rose due to a surge in prices that reached a seven-year high. The country had exported 5,017 tons valued at Rs 7.93 billion in 2023/24.
Over the past decade, cardamom exports have fluctuated significantly. Earnings dropped to Rs 3.83 billion in 2014/15, climbed to Rs 4.63 billion the following year, and then declined again to Rs 3.9 billion in 2016/17. The three-year period from 2017/18 to 2019/20 saw relative stability, with annual export values consistently exceeding Rs 4 billion. A major jump in export earnings was seen in 2020/21, when revenues surged to Rs 6.93 billion. Although earnings fell to Rs 4.77 billion in 2021/22, they rebounded to an all-time high of Rs 8.27 billion in 2022/23.
