Coorg Small Cardamom Plantation Kodagu Karnataka

Small cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) cultivation in Kodagu (Coorg) district of Karnataka is practiced as a mixed-shade plantation crop grown under the canopy of Jackfruit, Areca palm, and Silver oak trees at elevations of 900 to 1500 metres. Unlike Sikkim which produces the large (black) variety Amomum subulatum, Kodagu produces the true green cardamom — the queen of spices. Planting is from rhizome suckers (tillers) separated from established mother plants. Plants take 3 to 4 years from planting to first harvest. Panicles emerge from the base of the stem and produce capsules that must be harvested before full ripeness — green, plump, and full-sized but before the skin turns yellow and splits, which reduces value and allows moisture ingress. Harvesting in Kodagu begins in August and extends through December. Capsules are cured in heated curing chambers (flue-cured at 40 to 50 degrees Celsius) for 12 to 18 hours to retain the green colour. Sun-dried cardamom turns pale (bleached) and fetches lower price. Kodagu cardamom benefits from cool temperatures, rich loam soil with good drainage, and high organic matter from the diverse shade tree canopy. The Cardamom Processing and Marketing Corporation (CPMC) holds government-sponsored procurement. Auction system at Spices Board of India cardamom auctions in Bodinayakkanur and Kumily (Tamil Nadu-Kerala border) determines price. Organic-certified Kodagu cardamom fetches two to three times the conventional market price in European specialty spice market.