High input costs and wild behaviour of southwest monsoon may adversely affect current cardamom crop. Low cardamom prices of around Rs 200 a kg and high input costs are forcing growers to slow down agricultural operations. Price of fertilisers and pesticides have risen exorbitantly of late. On top of that, heavy winds that lashed the cardamom-growing tracts during last week of May, coupled with the absence of adequate summer rains, have damaged standing crops/plants.

The average price during the current season was around Rs 200 a kg as against the annual average auction price of Rs 622.87 a kg in 2001-02. Prices have declined since then and currently they are non-remunerative. The cultivation costs per acre in 2004 were estimated at Rs 87,275, excluding capital investments and interest on cultivation costs. In contrast, the yield from one acre of a well-managed plantation would be 400-500 kg. Thus the income would range from Rs 80,000 to Rs 1 lakh, which lands many growers in losses.

Experts predict a crop loss of 50 per cent in Udumbanchola area and 30 per cent in Vandanmedu region. As a result, there could be a decline of 20-30 per cent in the overall production this year.