Shillong: Farming families in Rasong are abandoning broom grass after years of plummeting prices. The crop once sustained the village, but falling profits have left local growers struggling to pay for daily needs and school fees.
Last week, 23 families in the Mawkynrew block started a transition to black cardamom. Mawkynrew MLA Banteidor Lyngdoh and YoCa Spices Director Afu N.Y. Jana provided 5,000 free saplings to the group at Khmatlum Rasong. The MLA paid for all the planting materials himself.
Lyngdoh noted the economic pain facing the village during the distribution event. "The fall in broom prices has affected the income of many farming families," he said. He argued that total reliance on a single crop created too much risk for the rural economy.
Experts believe the local soil is perfect for the new crop. Black cardamom sells for roughly Rs 800 per kilogram. YoCa Spices promised to help these farmers reach buyers, which solves a major hurdle for growers trying something new. The move marks a shift away from a legacy of stagnation toward a more diverse, and hopefully profitable, future for the village.
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