ABSTRACT
Cultivation of cardamom is mostly concentrated in the evergreen forests of Western Ghats in South India. Besides India, cardamom is grown as a commercial crop in Guatemala and on a small scale in Tanzania, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Earlier, India accounted for 70 per cent of the world production and now it is 41 per cent only, while Guatemala contributes around 48 per cent of the present world production. The total area under cardamom in India was around 1,05,000 ha till the 80s but has subsequently reduced to the present level of around 75,000 ha. It is mainly cultivated in the three southern states of India – Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu; contributing approximately 60, 31 and 9 per cent of total area respectively.
