Kumily auctions record high-value trades while eastern India’s large cardamom markets sustain stable pricing

India’s cardamom markets continued to display resilience on Wednesday, with small cardamom auction prices maintaining strong levels at Kerala’s key trading hub of Kumily, even as large cardamom markets across eastern India reflected sustained price stability driven by active trade sentiment and firm domestic demand.

According to the latest auction data, Spice More Trading Company in Kumily conducted a major small cardamom auction on May 20, handling 240 lots with a total arrival volume of 70,363.9 kilograms. Of this, nearly 69,540.6 kilograms were successfully sold, indicating a strong clearance rate and healthy buyer participation in the premium spice segment.

The auction recorded a maximum realised price of Rs 3,247 per kilogram, while the average traded price stood at Rs 2,395.77 per kilogram, underscoring the continued firmness in market sentiment despite periodic volatility in arrivals and export-led demand fluctuations.

Industry observers note that sustained procurement by traders, coupled with relatively controlled arrivals and weather-linked concerns in producing regions, continues to support elevated pricing in the small cardamom segment. Market participants are also closely monitoring export enquiries and inventory movements ahead of the monsoon season, which traditionally influences supply expectations and pricing behaviour.

Meanwhile, large cardamom markets across Sikkim and Siliguri also reflected stable-to-firm pricing trends during the latest trading session held on May 14.

In Singtam market, Badadana grade large cardamom was traded at Rs 1,450 per kilogram, while Chotadana variety fetched Rs 1,325 per kilogram. Prices remained comparatively stronger in Gangtok, where Badadana was quoted at Rs 1,550 per kilogram and Chotadana at Rs 1,400 per kilogram.

Siliguri market emerged as the strongest among the major eastern trading centres, with Badadana prices touching Rs 1,700 per kilogram, while Chotadana traded at Rs 1,431 per kilogram, reflecting firm downstream demand and active inter-state movement.

The sustained strength across both small and large cardamom categories comes amid broader volatility in global spice markets, where climatic disruptions, export uncertainties and tightening quality regulations are increasingly influencing trade behaviour and pricing patterns.

Market analysts suggest that while domestic consumption continues to provide a stable demand base, long-term price trajectories will remain closely linked to crop conditions, export competitiveness and inventory positioning across major trading centres.

The latest auction trends reaffirm cardamom’s continued status as one of India’s highest-value spice commodities, even as the sector navigates an increasingly complex intersection of weather variability, regulatory scrutiny and evolving global demand dynamics.