Province 1 govt to support cardamom farmers

Bishnu Prasad Pokharel / Aug. 25 : Province 1 Minister for Agriculture Jhalak Bahadur Magar has assured to support alainchi, black cardamom, farmers and businesses.

Minister Magar made the remarks while attending a programme under ‘Wah! Alainchi’s campaign in Damak was organised by the Swiss Government under the facilitation of the Large Cardamom Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (LCEAN) on Tuesday.

Recently, the LCEAN in coordination with Province 1 Agriculture Ministry and Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) and in the support of the Hotel Association of Nepal has been organising ‘Wah! Alainchi’ (Wow! Alainchi) campaign throughout the country.

“The provincial government will support farmers and businesses involved in alainchi cultivation. We will help promote its consumption nationwide and market it globally. It will benefit the government as well,” said Minister Magar.

MasterChef Santosh Shah, who is the brand ambassador of the campaign, was also present in the programme.

“Alainchi has extensive use in the kitchen and its flavour is loved by many. It is Nepal’s local spice and should be promoted on a domestic and global scale,” said Shah.

According to LCEAN, Nepal earns an estimated Rs. 7 billion from selling alainchi. Around 5,500 metric tonnes of alainchi is produced in 18,400 hectares of land across 45 districts of the country.

“Of the total alainchi produced in Nepal, only 4 per cent is consumed domestically,” said Nirmal Bhattarai, chairman at LCEAN.

Officials said that India is one of the major importers of Nepal’s black cardamon. It is expected to equalise green cardamom imported by Nepal from India.

“We believe that alainchi consumption can be increased by promoting the item more aggressively. We would also like to empower more farmers in the production to uplift their livelihood economically,” said Meghnath Timilsina, secretary at Province 1 Agriculture Ministry.