With the seizure of 240 kg. of cardamom at the check-post in Kumily by the Intelligence wing of the Sales Tax Department on Saturday, checking of vehicles moving to Tamil Nadu has been intensified. This is the third instance of smuggling cardamom across the border in the recent past.
An official at the check-post said in normal cases, vehicles carrying people are not checked at the State check-post. The smugglers take advantage of this and move cardamom hidden in the vehicles to get a better price, evading the tax.
The smuggling of cardamom was almost stopped after the standardisation of Sales Tax in the two States. When Sales Tax was higher in the State, cardamom in large quantities were moved on headload through the porous routes across the border. It was a major challenge as there were a number of porous routes and a government decision was taken to standardise the Sales Tax. “Now cardamom is moved through the main roads and it is difficult to book them unless there is no specific information,” said the official. The recent rise in prices was said to be the reason for the increased smuggling .The average price has reached over Rs.1,350 a kg. now.
ADVERTISEMENT
The higher prices offered by the major buyers prompt small-scale merchants and planters to move cardamom to Tamil Nadu, said market sources.
According to K.S. Mathew, a planter, opening the market for cardamom would allow better freedom to the buyer and the seller. It would also ensure competitive prices and smuggling of cardamom can be effectively checked. The mixing of Indian cardamom with Guatemalan cardamom can be countered. This would prevent buyers from forming a cartel at the auction centres to keep prices at a low, he said.