Fading Aroma of Black Cardamom: A $480 million market may bloom while India's 'black gold' wilts

India’s large black cardamom industry is battling declining plantation health, crop diseases and climate change, threatening farmers’ livelihoods in Sikkim. Once the world’s largest producer, India has lost ground to Nepal, which now dominates global production. The Sikkim government is backing scientific research, improved planting material and disease-resistant varieties to revive the state’s valuable black gold crop.