When 54-year-old Wangdi Tshering from Yalang Gewog in Trashi Yangtse decided to grow cardamom on a commercial scale three years ago, he was not sure how things would go. Today, as he looks at the yield, Yalang’s lone commercial cardamom farmer is happy about his decision.
He planted over a thousand cardamom plants and the first harvest last year earned him a little over Nu 14,000 only. This year, the yield looks promising. He expects to earn around Nu 80,000.
Cardamom growers in the south have been grappling with blight. The plant disease has wiped out the prized crop in many areas. But in Yalang, there is no such problem yet.
“There are no such challenges at the moment,” shared Wangdi Tshering. “Fencing is the only challenge. We need barbed wire fencing.”
The father of three takes the precious crop to Samdrup Jongkhar for sale. “Selling cardamom has not been a problem. Buyers from India take whatever we have.”
The people in Yalang depend mainly on Sichaun peppercorns for livelihood. Wangdi Tshering took up cardamom cultivation to boost his income. He is planning to grow more cardamom.
There are a few others in the gewog who grow cardamom but only for own consumption.
