PRIVAT GIRI The research conducted by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) on the disease problem of large

cardamom has indeed not helped the farmers in Sikkim to preserve their native cardamom farm and to overcome their only means of livelihood. The study as carried out ith regard to the problem addressed by the !orticulture "epartment# Sikkim $overnment to the "y "irector $eneral (!ort.)# ICAR# %e "elhi. The team of e&perts in its report advised the farmers to avoid the use of infected planting material and also recommended a pesticide to be used as a preliminary solution. !o ever# even after the use of uninfected planting materials# the farmers are not being able to prevent their farm from this fatal unidentified disease. 'n the other hand# the use of pesticide has not gained ide acceptance among the farmers ho still hold great faith in their traditional techni(ues of farming. They opine that the pesticide ould pollute their ater resources and is harmful for their animals ho feed from the same land. )resently# there are appro&imately si&teen thousand gro ers of large cardamom in Sikkim among hich thirty percent are totally dependent on this crop. It covers around *+ thousand hectares of land under cultivation. As per the official figures# the production and e&port had surpassed a record of five thousand metric tons. The bulk of the produce is e&ported to $ulf and Central Asian countries and )akistan and earns huge foreign e&change for India. ,ainly on this ground# Sikkim is fondly kno n as the -land of spices. in the orld arena. /ut in recent times# the production has been declining drastically though substantive efforts are being undertaken especially by the farmers to overcome the crisis. The Spices /oard of India is providing financial assistance for constructing nurseries so that the gro ers could collect uninfected saplings for replantation. If the similar trend continues for ne&t couple of decades# it ill have an enormous impact on the economy of not only Sikkim but also India. /esides the destiny of the thousands of cardamom gro ers ill be at stake. The farmers in the villages of the Ravangla sub0division say that the diseases namely -Chirkey. and -1urkey. are common and are not so as destructive as this ne ly arrived viral disease (the villagers call it -)aheley.). !o assuredly the researchers affirm this as a viral disease is unkno n. The condition is so severe that the gro ers ho ere contributing appro&imately three hundred kilograms of fruit in the market before 203 years have nothing to sell this year. So as a final solution# the farmers are presently planning to burn the entire farm# keep it barren for some

years and do replantation.They have no come across a collective conclusion that the problem lies not ith the planting material but the farm itself. And by burning the farm# they hope to ipe out hatever viruses present. The successful cultivation of cardamom by some of the farmers in their normal agricultural farm confirms their assumption. Therefore# the primary concern is to probe into the variable hich can be held accountable for ruining the fate of these cardamom gro ers. 4eeping all those complicated macro scientific discourses (eg5 global arming) aside and 6ust evaluating in micro terms# cardamom is best gro n under the shade of forest trees. This is the only reason hy initially hen our ancestors started Cardamom farming in Sikkim# they opted to cultivate it in the 6ungles. 1orest tree covers the plant from frost# hail storms and also direct sunlight hich are very in6urious to plants during flo ering. It is e(ually pertinent to recogni7e that Cardamom thrives in moist soil. Therefore# the tree shade helps the farm to retain its moisture and protects it from getting dry. !ence considering all those factors mentioned above hich are very vital for the survival of this plant5 Is it reasonable to presume that the falling number of trees (rapid deforestation) in the Cardamom farms in Sikkim is liable for this entire crisis8 "eforestation minimi7es the ability of the farm to retain its moisture hich leads to dryness of the land and change in temperature patterns. Change in temperature patterns facilitates change in habitats. )lants# animals# birds and insects previously living there ill seek ne place suitable for their survival and is replaced by other ne species of living beings. 9ike other species# even the cardamom plant ill not be able resist the changing climatic conditions and ne varieties of insects ith hich it is not accustomed to. :nder such circumstances# the fundamental duty of the parties concerned ( hether $overnment or %$'s) is to generate a areness among the farmers about the basic essential re(uirements for cardamom cultivation rather than confusing them by giving comple& scientific term to the disease(viral)# hich they ill never understand. Cutting of trees covering their farm should be discouraged. Comprehensive planning should be formulated for re0positioning the already deteriorating condition of the farm and rehabilitate temporarily those thousands of farmers ho are directly dependent on this profession. ;lse in future# Sikkim not only has to bear the burden all these si&teen thousand farmers engaged in cardamom farming but also has to part ay ith its brand image< =The 9and of Spices=.