By Our Correspondent

Lamjung, Dec. 24 Production of cardamom, a cash crop, has increased in the district this year.
The cardamom production has doubled this year compared to last year following the expansion of cardamom plantation area.
Farmers of the district have been encouraged towards the cardamom farming in the district after the government established it as a cardamom super zone.
According to farmers, good climate and the new plants of cardamom have contributed to the increase in cardamom production this year.
Yam Prasad Gurung, a farmer of Beshishahar Municipality-10, Khanche, said that around 4 quintals of cardamom was produced in his farm this year while he had produced only three quintals of cardamom in the same land last year.
Likewise, another farmer, Som Bahadur Tamang, produced three quintals of cardamom this year whereas only 2.5 quintals of cardamom was produced in the same land last year. Tamang had planted new saplings of cardamom at around 40 ropanis land two years ago by expanding the area from 35 ropanis.
According to Ishwor Gurung, farmer of Kohlashothar Rural Municipality-8, Gharaman, farmers were encouraged to plant cardamom in the wet and damp land which was left barren in the past.
He said that he produced around 2 quintals of cardamom this year and sold at Rs. 600 per kilogram.
Chairman of Gandaki Sate, Federation of Cardamom Entrepreneurs, and district board of director of Prime Minister Agriculture Modernisation Project, Cardamom Zone Ajaya Tamang said that around 2,000 quintals of cardamom was produced from 1,050 hectares of land this year.
“The farmers of the district are encouraged towards the cardamom farming and they have started to plant new sapling of cardamom in the new places,” he said.
Last year, around 750 quintals of cardamom was produced in 950 hectares of land.
According to him, farmers are selling cardamom at Rs. 500 to Rs. 620 per kilogram. The price of cardamom has decreased this year compared to last year.
Last year, per kilogram of cardamom cost Rs. 700 to Rs. 750.
Chief of Cardamom Super Zone Office Ishwori Neupane said that cardamom covers almost all land of four municipalities and four rural municipalities.
He said that the production of cardamom would gradually increase in the coming years with the expansion of the cardamom planting areas.