Cardamom production employs plants of the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the ginger family Zingiberaceae. Cultivation of cardamom was introduced to Guatemala before World War I by Oscar Majus Kloeffer; today Guatemala is the world's biggest producer and exporter, followed by India and Sri Lanka; Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are the leading importers of the spice. After saffron and vanilla, cardamom is the third most expensive spice by weight.
Cardamom sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera Elettaria and Amomum in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are recognized by their small seed pods: triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin, papery outer shell and small, black seeds.
Cardamom popularly known as “ILAICHI” or “ELAICHI” in India and referred as ‘Queen of Spices’. It is actually a dried fruit of a tall perennial plant. It is part of the ‘Zigniberaceae’ family. In India, Cardamom is cultivated in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamilnadu. Because of its aroma and flavour, Cardamom is one of the most expensive spices in the world.
Cardamom is called as queen of spices which has exotic aromatic flavors. Cardamom is an oldest and third most expensive spice after saffron and vanilla. Cardamom has warm fortifying fragrance that adds extra advantage to ancient spices. Cardamom is derived from the Latin word cardamomum which is a kind of Indian spice plant. Three years are taken by cardamom plant to bear fruits which are productive for more than 5 to 6 years.
Almost 72% global productions are originated from two producers Guatemala in Central America and South India. Due to climatic conditions, cardamom is produced whole year in Guatemala which has a big advantage in export market. According to our report Saudi Arabia is the largest importer of cardamom due to flavored drinks like concoction which is very popular in Middle East region such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and UAE etc.
Cardamom is also used for medical purposes as it is very curative in nature. It helps in healing of sore throat, whitening of teeth, digestive disorders etc. Cardamoms, being one of the primary ingredients are used in herbal health supplements such as tea bags, cardamom powders, cardamom liquids etc.
One of the boosting factors that is driving the growth of Cardamom Market is accelerating use of cardamom in developing countries such as Middle east and Africa, Latin America, South east Asia etc. These countries consume more amount of cardamom products such as concoction drink, cardamom oil etc. Since cardamom is third most expensive spice globally so it can only be owned by upper middle class and rich population.
