Small cardamom prices continued to stay firmer on strong demand at auctions held in Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
‘Pongal’ purchase by the Tamil Nadu government has pushed up prices by ₹50-60 a kg on Monday in Bodinayakannur, the main trading hub for the spice, Ranganathan, a dealer, told BusinessLine . He said the government has placed an order for 90 tonnes of cardamom for distributing to BPL category ration card holders in the State through PDS.
Meanwhile, PC Punnoose, Managing Director, CPMC, said that the inventories in the north Indian markets are also reportedly empty and hence upcountry dealers were actively covering. Export buying has slipped following a squeeze in availability of the exportable grade capsules, he said.
At the auction today in Bodinayakannur conducted by the Cardamom Planters Association, 42 tonnes arrived and almost the entire quantity was traded. The auction average was up at ₹965.49 a kg (₹929.02) and the maximum price was at ₹1,160 a kg.