The Hindu Business Line : Cardamom harvest delayed; prices up Rs 40/kg

Kochi, July 19 Harvesting of the next cardamom crop would commence by mid-August due to the delay caused by protracted dry spell during summer followed by heavy rains coupled with strong gales during the delayed south-west monsoon.

Since the crop has been delayed and the growers consider the current month “Aadi” as inauspicious they would now start picking only on “Aadi Perukku”, which falls on August 15, market sources in Bodinayakannur told Business Line.

Auctions though resumed on July 11 because of the thin arrivals only one auction was held on July 18 at Kumily by the Cardamom Processing and Marketing Company (CPMC) where the arrivals stood at 16 tonnes. No other auctioneers might be conducting auctions during the week for want of sufficient arrivals. In fact, auctions are likely to commence in full swing from mid-August when the harvesting is likely to begin, they said.

Tight supply has pushed up the prices by around Rs 40 a kg at the Wednesday’s auction. The maximum price fetched by good colour 8 mm bold was Rs 569.50 a kg and the minimum was Rs 241, Mr P.C. Punnoose, General Manager, CPMC, said. The average price stood at Rs 424.35 a kg and that was the highest ever average price during the current season, which is, officially from August 1 to July 31, he said. The total arrivals, therefore, during the current season up to July 18 stood at 8,293 tonnes against 9.751 tonnes during the same period last season. The arrivals thus showed a drop of 1,458 tonnes. Similarly, the sales also fell by 1,480 tonnes to 7,628 tonnes from 9,108 tonnes. The average price stood at Rs 314.83 a kg compared to Rs 215.22 last season.

Prices of graded varieties were AGEB Rs 500– 510, AGB Rs 430–440, AGS Rs 415–435 and AGS 1 Rs 385–400 a kg.

Prices in the local market at Bodinayakannur were AGEB Rs 470–480, AGB Rs 400–410, AGS Rs 390–400 and AGS 1 Rs 350–370 a kg. Bulk was being sold at Rs 450–500 a kg.

The buyers, mainly from Bangalore and Chennai, were active at the Wednesday’s auction. About 14 tonnes out of the total arrivals of 16 tonnes was from the carry over stock. Whereas at the second auction of the previous season, the arrivals stood at 40 tonnes as the harvesting commenced in late June 2006 because of favourable weather conditions, he said.

The decline in output in the next season in Kerala and Tamil Nadu is likely to be somewhere between 30 per cent and 50 per cent because of the extensive damages caused by the unfavourable weather that so far prevailed in the growing areas, said Mr T. Ashokkumar, President, Kerala Cardamom Growers Union.