Amomum subulatum Roxb. (Angiosperms; Zingiberaceae): A species that can change the livelihood of mountain inhabitants of Uttarakhand, Himalaya

Research Article

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21276/pt.2025.v2.i3.6

Keywords:

Large cardamom, Spice, Cultivar, Market, Economic

Abstract

Amomum subulatum, commonly known as black or large cardamom (Badi Elaichi), is cultivated in many regions of the state of Uttarakhand. In Uttarakhand, most of the farmers grow this species for self-use and not for commercial purposes. However, the species has the potential to change the socio-economic conditions of the farmers of the region. The present study was designed to analyze the profit of different traditional cash crops of the region and compare it to the profit earned by cultivating large cardamom. Frequent surveys and field visits carried out together provided information on rates per kg of the species studied. Data on yield per hectare was obtained from the department of Horticulture, Uttarakhand, while yield per hectare of large cardamom was obtained from the Herbal Research and Development Institute. It is observed that cultivating large cardamoms is much more profitable than other spice crops such as onion, tomato, garlic, chilli and coriander. Per hectare production of different species was 10 MT (onion), 11 MT (tomato), 6.7 MT (garlic), 3.6 MT (chilli) and 4.8 MT (coriander), while the yield of large cardamom is 0.25 MT per hectare. The rates per kg for different species are Rs. 10.00 (onion), Rs. 15.00 (tomato), Rs. 45 (garlic), Rs. 55 (chilli) and Rs. 60 (coriander), while the rate of large cardamom is Rs. 1500 per kg. Thus, net profit per hectare per year was 1.00 Lakh for onion, 1.65 Lakh for tomato, 3.01 lakh for garlic, 1.98 for chilli, 2.88 Lakh for coriander, while for large cardamom the net profit is 2.70 lakh per hectare. Comparing the net profit of large cardamom with other spices studied indicated that, cultivation of large cardamom is 5.02 times profitable than onion, 2.18 times profitable than tomato, 1.38 times profitable than garlic, 1.96 times profitable than chilli and 1.20 times more profitable than coriander. Findings of present study clearly indicate that cultivating large cardamom is more profitable and hence considering the economic benefit and presence of preferable habitat in mountain regions of Uttarakhand, large scale cultivation should be promoted so that the livelihood of the farmer can be improved.

Author Biographies

  • Abhishek Tripathi, Herbal Research and Development Institute, Mandal, Gopeshwar - 246 401, Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India

    Director, 

    Herbal Research and Development Institute, Mandal, Gopeshwar - 246 401, Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India

  • Arvind Kumar Bhandari, Herbal Research and Development Institute, Mandal, Gopeshwar, Uttarakhand

    Scientist B, Herbal Research and Development Institute 

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Published

2025-10-15

Data Availability Statement

All data produced or examined in this study are contained within this published article.

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Vol. 2 No. 3 (2025): October 2025 Issue

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Copyright (c) 2025 Abhishek Tripathi, Arvind Kumar Bhandari (Author)

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How to Cite

1.
Tripathi A, Bhandari AK. Amomum subulatum Roxb. (Angiosperms; Zingiberaceae): A species that can change the livelihood of mountain inhabitants of Uttarakhand, Himalaya: Research Article. phytoTalks. 2025;2(3):484-489. doi:10.21276/pt.2025.v2.i3.6