Answer to the question of "most satisfactory profession" is agriculture for many Indians who love agriculture. Earlier it was a non profitable profession but now agriculture and business of agriculture products is profitable like any other business. Unlike other businesses agricultural plantation business has dual benefits. One is profit from sale of products and other is appreciation of land and asset value. Competition is not a discouraging factor in agricultural business.
Cardamom plantation is an attractive option in the field of agriculture. Earlier it was branded as the business of rich people who owns cardamom plantations in hundreds of acres. But nowadays many farmers with small area of agricultural land are also doing cardamom farming. There is big fluctuation in the price rate and at a reasonable rate it is a profitable business.
Government grants and subsidies for cardamom plantation
There are many schemes from the part of government for
promotion of cardamom plantation. There are subsidies,
grants, expenses reimbursements etc. The government also
provides good quality plants to the farmers at a lowest
rate.
Cultivation of Cardamom and specifications
Size of Pit to Plant Cardamom
1 Meter width and 0.50 Meter height
Number of Plants in one acre of land
Approximate 450 No of trees can be planted in 1 acre of
land
Distance between Cardamom plants
Approximate 9 ft to 10 ft distance should be there
between plants
Fertilizer and Other Treatments
Treatments against insecticides should be done regularly.
Fertilizer treatments for the healthy growth of plant should
be done within 15 days, 45 days 3 months and 6 months after
planting the tree.
Shade for Cardamom Plants
Shade
is necessary for the growth of Cardamom plants. At the same
time sunlight is also necessary. Generally trees like silver
oak, Jack fruit tree etc are very good choice to provide
shade to the cardamom plantation. We can plant two types of
trees for providing shade to the cardamom plantation. One is
tree which gives some agricultural products and other is the
trees which grow fast and useful to make furniture. Both
types of trees will give additional income other than income
from cardamom products.
Cultivation period for Cardamom Products
Picture from family owned cardamom plantation of the author
Within a period of 12-18 months after planting cardamom plants, it starts generating income.
Quantity of product from one acre of land
From one acre of land approximate 400 kgs of marketable
product can be generated
Number of labour days for 1 acre of plantation per year
Approximate 200 labour days are required for cultivation of
1 acre of cardamom plantation in a year
Water for cardamom plantation
The Cardamom plantation owned by the family of the author has two water tanks with a water storage capacity of 100000 liters and 50000 liters.
Water is necessary for cardamom Plantation. Sufficient facility to give water to the plants needs to be kept properly. Government subsidiary and grant is available for setting up water tank, well and other facilities. The government is also providing subsidized electricity for the use of agriculture.
When cardamom product will be ready
The product will be ready to take within a period of 40-45
days.
Heat treatment to cardamom products
Cardamom product needs to put in dryers to make it dry
before sending it to the market for sale.
Minimum and Maximum rate of products
The lowest rate of cardamom is approximate Rs. 500/- per k.g.
and highest is approximate Rs. 5000/- per k.g.
Method to sell cardamom products
Normally cardamom is being sold through auction, which helps
the farmer to get maximum price for the product.
Factors affecting price of Cardamom
Colour and quality of cardamom product is the main factors
which decides price of cardamom. If we keep the product for
long time, the colour will reduce and the price will also
reduce in a limited extent. But the main factor deciding
price is the market condition.
Price to purchase cardamom plantation and why to invest
The lowest approximate price to purchase one acre of
cardamom plantation is approximate Rs. 25 lacs, which is
less than the cost of a one room flat in town areas. The
price of well maintained agricultural farms will definitely
grow every year and the capital appreciation is very
attractive.
Points to remember before starting cardamom plantation
Price of cardamom fluctuates every year; the right time to
sell the product needs to be selected carefully.
Cardamom plantation needs careful treatments and it should be done regularly in the correct time.
The farmer should have sufficient patience and needs to understand the market conditions.-