Demand for Guatemalan cardamom remains weak

GUATEMALAN cardamom prices are expected to remain on the weak side for at least the next two to three months due to an anticipated decent sized crop and sluggish demand. Rodolfo Rivera, director of Guatemalan exporter Excard, told The Public Ledger the 2005/06 crop is likely to come in at around 32,500 tonnes, together with […]

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India cracks down on cardamom residues

INDIA’S Spices Board has offered to test cardamom for pesticide residue free of charge for the next three years. The testing facility will be available at the Quality Evaluation Laboratory of the Spices Board in Kochi. In addition to the residue test, the lab will also undertake soil and leaf testing free of cost during […]

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Poor returns threaten cardamom output

LOW Indian cardamom prices are preventing growers from being able to nurture their plantations and threaten to result in reduced plantings next season, according to the Kerala Cardamom Growers’ Association (KCGA). KCGA president T Ashok Kumar said that the average price this season is around Rs200 ($4.50) a kg compared with the average auction price […]

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trading briefs

THE New York Board of Trade (Nybot) and the Multi Commodity Exchange of India (MCX) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore areas of co-operation that could benefit both exchanges. While Nybot is recognised as the premier soft commodity exchange in the US, and indeed the world, the MCX is held in the same […]

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Sugar traders rail against FMC rule changes

MARKET players are looking for loopholes in the new Forward Markets Commission (FMC) standards for sugar futures in order to maintain volatility in the market. Under the new standards, position limits for members have been revised to 100,000 tonnes or 20% of open market interest – whichever is higher – compared with 50,000 tonnes earlier. […]

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Big cardamom crop prompts record trading

VOLUMES of cardamom traded through Indian auctions have hit a record level in the current season due to a bumper harvest. With the peak harvesting period of India’s cardamom coming to an end, picking of the crop is slowing down. According to local estimates, India’s output should reach a healthy 13,500 tonnes in 2005/06 from […]

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Price encourages India’s growers

THE current global price level of coffee appears to have infused a sense of satisfaction among the growers in Kodagu district of Karnataka, which accounts for 40% of India’s coffee production. With the picking of arabica, which ripens ahead of robusta, just starting across the entire district, prices of both varieties have started to look […]

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Better supplies depress Indian cardamom price

INCREASED availability caused cardamom prices in the Indian market to drop in the opening week of 2006 despite interest from a number of foreign buyers.Arrivals up to January 3 stood at 5,424 tonnes, compared with 3,119 tonnes for the same period last season. Likewise, sales this season now stand at 5,132 tonnes, compared with 3,021 […]

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India to study West Asian cardamom sales

INDIA’S Spices Board is in the process of appointing Tata Consultancy Services to conduct a study on the cardamom market in the West Asia in a bid to boost exports to the region. Tata will conduct an extensive study of the market to find out ways to increase the market for Indian cardamom, as well […]

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Customer loyalty benefits Indian cardamom

DESPITE Indian cardamom exports dwindling over recent years, premium markets such as Japan and Saudi Arabia have remained loyal to the Asian producer. Japan’s imports have stayed at a steady 200 tonnes a year, while Saudi Arabia is the top importer of India’s aromatic spice, with annual shipments reaching between 270 and 495 tonnes Demand […]

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