Cardamom

Description

The cardamom cultivated in Guatemala is Elettaria cardamomum, a native of India&#**9;s Malabar coast. Growing from large rhizomes resembling ginger, the plant puts out clusters of tall, graceful stems topped with rough, palm-like leaves. From the base of the cluster grow soft, horizontal, crooked panicles up to a meter (3&#**9;) long that bear white flowers and, eventually, cardamom pods. The plant thrives in the moisture of a tropical climate. Today, cardamom ranks as Guatemala&#**9;s fourth-largest agricultural export, right behind coffee, sugar and bananas. In ***5, the country shipped cardamom worth some $*0 million—and roughly *0 percent of it went to Saudi Arabia, with another *0 percent to the United Arab Emirates. Only a small fraction was sent to non-Arab countries. Local exporters hope that the next crop will be even larger, perhaps enough to increase revenue by as much as *0 percent.