Economics of Drying and Storage Methods of Large Cardamom (Amomum subulatum Roxb.) Among Smallholder Farmers in Gandaki Province, Nepal

Smallholder farmers lack knowledge of postharvest management of freshly harvested large cardamom capsules thus they make uneconomical decisions on the drying and storage of capsules and are unaware of the amount of income lost resulting from it. This paper aimed to assess the drying and storage benefits and efficiency of drying and storage methods used by smallholder farmers. An interview-based questionnaire survey of 320 randomly selected large cardamom cultivating farmers was conducted in Gandaki province, Nepal to collect the data. The collected data were processed and analyzed by using Microsoft Excel and Statistical Package of Social Sciences Version 26. The study revealed that a double drum dryer was the most popular drying method of drying capsules adopted by 59.1% of farmers followed by a traditional kiln and electric dryer. Among four types of storage methods used for storing dried capsules, two-fifths of farmers used jute sacks. The highest average drying cost per kg of capsule was found in traditional kilns (NRs 476.87). The highest drying benefit and drying efficiency were found in electric dryer NRs 676.34 per kg and 68.95% respectively. The difference in the mean of drying benefit and drying efficiency of the three drying methods were statistically significant at a 0.1% level of significance. Storage cost was lower in wooden boxes and average storage benefit was lower in black polythene-lined gunny bags in the sixth month of storage of dried capsules. The average storage efficiency of wooden boxes was found to be the highest among the four storage methods i.e. 52.89%. These findings suggested that the electric dryer should be promoted for drying capsules and a wooden box for storing dried capsules.