Farmers in Taplejung now are busy in harvesting cardamom. With the festive season coming to an end, they are hell bent on picking, peeling and basking cardamom.
The season beginning from mid-September to mid-December is a prime time for harvesting cardamom. Gyan Bahadur Gurung, a cardamom farmer of Pathivara Yangwarak rural municipality-1, Thechambu, said the farmers have stepped up their preparation to pick and harvest cardamom due to possible menace of wildlife.
He further said they did not conveniently celebrate the grand festivals such as Dashain and Tihar due to cardamom season.
Farmers had to spend their time in cardamom farm even during festivals as it was the main season for harvesting, said Basanta Limbu, a farmer of Faktanglung rural municipality-6. Madibung. Likewise, Khongdu Sherpa, a farmer of Fungling municipality-6, Bihibare said they were entirely busy in picking, peeling and basking cardamom during Tihar festival.
As there is rising fear of wildlife rampage. the farmers had devoted their effort to timely harvest cardamom yields, he added. It is the high time for entire cardamom farmers across the district to harvest their yields. There is massive cardamom farming in 60 wards of all nine local level units in the district.
Cardamom has been cultivated in around 4,450 hectares of land in the district.