November 2: Nepali cardamom has received the Halal Certificate. It means that the cardamoms which were earlier exported only to India and Pakistan can now be exported to the Gulf countries. This certificate is a must to export food to the Gulf countries.

India is the largest market for Nepali cardamom while Nepal has been exporting cardamoms to Pakistan since the last three years. 

According to Nirmal Bhattarai, president of the Nepal Cardamom Traders Federation, it takes a long time for Nepali cardamom to reach Pakistan. He said Gulf countries have more opportunities than Pakistan due to price fluctuation. The producers will now export directly to the Gulf countries as they now have the Halal Certificate.

Nepali cardamom is exported under the brand name 'Everest Large Cardamom'. The government issued a trademark for cardamom on July 3, 2016 so that it can be exported under the name of Nepal in the international market. Four later, Pakistan approved the Nepali brand. Last year, 37.5 metric tons of cardamom worth Rs 50 million were exported to Pakistan. Although Nepali cardamom is preferred in Pakistan, the trading process is long (45 days), and the price is low. So, businessmen started looking for a market in the Gulf countries.

Since Nepali cardamom has received the Halal Certificate, traders will now export it to Qatar under its trademark.

It is expected that the falling price of cardamom will go up now. 

The Halal Certificate is an organic registeration given by Qatar to products produced according to its standards. To get a Halal Certificate, cardamom must be produced organically, gloves must be worn while harvesting and picking them, and pigs must not be kept in the production area. Nepali farmers have fulfilled these criteria. Only cardamom that meets the standards can be exported to the Gulf countries.

Everest Large Cardamom got its market after Pakistan registered it. Rajkumar Karki, the former president of the Cardamom Traders Federation, said that Nepali cardamom is still being sold as an Indian product in the world market.

According to Karki, 95 per cent of Nepal's cardamom goes to India. The Nepali cardamom that reached the hands of Indian businessmen are being exported to the Gulf countries with the tag of Indian product.