Cardamom harvest hit by unusual cold spell in Idukki

Unusual cold weather in Idukki causes delayed cardamom maturation, leading to fewer harvests and significant income loss for farmers.

While paddy fields in the high ranges of Idukki and Wayanad districts are witnessing a rare phenomenon of panicles failing to emerge due to low temperature stress (LTS), the cardamom farmers in the Idukki region reported a significant slowdown in the maturation of cardamom capsules. During December and January, this delay resulted in fewer harvests and substantial income loss.

Farmers attributed the delay to the unusually cold weather the district experienced over the past two months. According to officials, the normal maturation period for cardamom ranges from 30 to 45 days, with longer cycles typically extending to 70 or 80 days. Recently, however, the interval has lengthened to 85–90 days.

Regi Thomas, a cardamom farmer from Anavilasom, near Kattappana, said the delayed maturation has caused severe hardship. “Normally, harvesting on our plantation is carried out every 45 to 50 days, or at most 60 days. This time, however, we began harvesting after a gap of 75 days, only to find that the capsules had not matured,” he said.

He added that the yield quality has also declined sharply. “Typically, 5 kg of green cardamom yields 1 kg of dried cardamom. This time, it took 7 kg of green cardamom to produce just 1 kg of dried cardamom. We had to stop harvesting midway. This is the first time we are experiencing such a situation.”

Stany Pothen, a planter and member of the Kerala Plantation Business Advisory Committee, said he also halted harvesting due to the high proportion of immature capsules. “When plants take longer to mature, it results in fewer harvests each year,” he explained. He added that labour shortages in October further compounded the problem. “Due to a shortage of plantation workers, many farmers harvested after nearly 100 days during the peak season.This disrupted the plants’ natural cycle and also contributed to the current maturation issues.”

Confirming the trend, Muthusamy Murugan, former head scientist at the Cardamom Research Station of Kerala Agricultural University in Pampadumpara, said the cold weather in December and January hindered the plants’ ability to absorb sufficient sunlight.