Cardamom is grown primarily in Guatemala and India, which together account for the vast majority of global production. Guatemala leads the world, producing roughly 35,000 metric tons per year, while India, the spice’s homeland, remains a close second. Beyond these two giants, cardamom is cultivated across parts of Southeast Asia, East Africa, and Central America in tropical highland regions that offer the right combination of altitude, rainfall, and shade.
Guatemala: The World’s Largest Producer
Guatemala surpassed India in cardamom production around 2000 and now dominates global output. The country produces approximately 35,000 metric tons annually, and in the 2012-2013 harvest season it hit a record 38,453 metric tons. To put that in perspective, total world cardamom exports run about 45,000 metric tons per year, meaning Guatemala alone accounts for roughly three-quarters of the global supply.
Most Guatemalan cardamom grows in the northern highland departments of Alta Verapaz and Quiché, where elevations and rainfall align with the plant’s needs. Smallholder farmers grow the bulk of the crop, and it serves as a critical cash crop for indigenous communities. Nearly all of Guatemala’s harvest is exported, with the Middle East (particularly Saudi Arabia) absorbing most of it for use in coffee and traditional dishes. The crop is so economically important in Guatemala that it’s sometimes called “green gold.”
India: Cardamom’s Native Home
Cardamom is native to the forests of southern India, and until 1980 India was the world’s largest producer. Today it remains a major grower, though much of its harvest supplies enormous domestic demand rather than export markets. The heart of Indian cardamom production lies in the Cardamom Hills, a stretch of the Western Ghats mountain range running through the Idukki district of Kerala and into parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. This region sits between roughly 600 and 1,500 meters elevation, with dense forest cover providing the natural shade cardamom requires.
Climate research spanning six decades of data from the Cardamom Hills shows the crop is increasingly sensitive to shifting weather patterns. Rainfall during the southwest monsoon season has become more erratic, and the number of rainy days dropped by nearly 20 days over a 40-year period. Rising minimum temperatures add further pressure on yields and irrigation. These changes matter because India’s cardamom fetches premium prices, particularly the high-grade “Alleppey Green” variety prized in international markets, where green cardamom can sell for anywhere between $40 and $100 per kilogram.
Green Cardamom vs. Black Cardamom
When most people say “cardamom,” they mean green cardamom, the small, bright-green pods used in everything from chai to Scandinavian pastries. This is the species grown in Guatemala, India, and Sri Lanka. Black cardamom is a different plant entirely, with larger, dark brown pods and a smoky, earthy flavor. It grows in the eastern Himalayas and mountainous parts of Southeast Asia, particularly Nepal, Bhutan, northern India (Sikkim), and southern China’s Yunnan province.
In parts of northern Laos and Vietnam, cardamom (including black varieties) is still collected from semi-wild forest stands rather than formal plantations. Communities in the Hoàng Liên mountain range in Vietnam’s Lào Cai and Lai Châu provinces have traditionally harvested cardamom from forested slopes, blending collection with small-scale cultivation under the forest canopy. As suitable land in China’s Yunnan province has grown scarce due to forest regulations, Vietnam and Laos have become increasingly important source areas.
Other Growing Regions
Several smaller producers round out the global picture. Sri Lanka grows green cardamom in its central highlands and was one of the crop’s original native habitats alongside India and Myanmar. Tanzania is the primary African grower, cultivating cardamom in the Usamabara Mountains where conditions mimic the plant’s South Asian origins. Costa Rica produces cardamom at a modest scale, benefiting from the same Central American highland climate that made Guatemala so successful. Vietnam grows both cultivated and forest-harvested cardamom in its northern mountains.
What Cardamom Needs to Thrive
Cardamom’s geography is dictated by a narrow set of growing conditions. The plant performs best at altitudes between 600 and 1,500 meters, in temperatures around 22°C (72°F), and struggles when temperatures drop below 17°C (63°F). It needs heavy rainfall, ideally between 2,500 and 3,800 millimeters per year, which is why it thrives in monsoon-fed and tropical mountain climates.
Shade is perhaps the most critical factor. Cardamom requires about 50 to 60 percent filtered sunlight throughout its growing period, which is why it’s traditionally cultivated beneath forest canopy or purpose-planted shade trees. Plantations typically use a two-tier shade system: fast-growing temporary trees to provide early cover, and taller permanent species for long-term canopy. The soil should be loamy, rich in organic matter, well-draining but able to hold moisture, with a pH between 4.5 and 7.0.
Cardamom plants take two to three years from planting to produce their first flowers, which develop into the seed pods that are harvested and dried. This long lead time, combined with the plant’s sensitivity to temperature and rainfall shifts, makes cardamom farming a significant investment. It also explains why production remains concentrated in just a handful of regions worldwide where the geography happens to be exactly right.