Read the passage given below and answer the questions:
Cardamom, the Queen of all spices, has a history as old as the human race. It
is the dried fruit of a herbaceous perennial plant. Warm humid climate, loamy soil
rich in organic matter, distributed rainfall and special cultivation and processing
methods all combine to make Indian cardamom truly unique in aroma, flavour, size
and it has a parrot green colour. Two types of cardamom are produced in India. The
first type is the large one, which has not much significance as it is not traded in the
market. It is cultivated in North-eastern area of the country. The second type is
produced in the Southern states and these are sold in the market. These are mainly
cultivated in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The small variety, known for its exotic quality throughout the world, is now
traded in India’s commodity future exchanges. Traditional auction markets also exist
for trading in small cardamom in the country. Cardamom is an expensive spice,
second only to saffron. It is often adulterated and there are many inferior substitutes
from cardamom-related plants such as Siam cardamom, Nepal cardamom, Winged
Java cardamom, etc. However, it is only Elettaria cardamom which is the true
cardamom. Indian cardamom is known in two main varieties: Malabar cardamom
and Mysore cardamom. The Mysore variety contains levels of cineol and limonene
and hence is more aromatic.
India was the world’s largest producer and exporter of cardamom till the
1980s. By 1990s Guatemala emerged as the leading producer and exporter of
cardamom. The main harvest season of cardamom in India is between August-
February. Cardamom reaches yielding stage two years after planting. North India is
the main market for cardamom produced in the country. Normally, domestic demand
goes up during the major festivals such as Diwali, Dussehra and Eid. Colour, size
and aroma are the major variables that shape cardamom prices in the Indian market.
Kerala is the main producer of cardamom and contributes up to 60% in total
production. Karnataka produces around 25% cardamom of the total production. Ooty
is the main producer of cardamom in Tamil Nadu and contributes around 10-15% of
the total production. Besides India, Guatemala also produces around 2,200ton
cardamom. On the other hand, India produces nearly 1,000 - 2,000ton cardamom
per year.
1. Why do you think the demand for cardamom rises during the festive season?
tell me this answer
Answers
Explanation:
Below we have given a short essay on Indian Railways is for Classes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6. This short essay on the topic is suitable for students of class 6 and below.
For a country so reliant on its trains, Indian Railways Vision 2020 envisages introduction of bullet trains. It will be a massive addition to its route network, with segregation of passenger and freight services into separate double-line corridors, raising the speeds of passenger trains from the current 130 kmph to 160-200 kmph on some routes, zero accidents and equipment failures and setting up of high-speed passenger corridors.
However, this vision would remain a difficult one to achieve, looking at the past and current situation of the railways. Inspite of being the largest and the busiest network, Indian Railways was never a sector to give good returns to the economy, (barring the time of Lalu Prasad Yadav). It faces a lot of problems, sometimes proving even a burden to the Indian Government. The age-old and crumbling infrastructure, low fares, lack of maintenance, mismanagement, lack of quality service deliverance etc are all the major issues with the railways. A sharp decline in the earnings and serious escalation in expenditure has posed even more problems for Indian Railways. Additionally, the ever increasing prices of fuel, coal, the number of accidents, cost of maintenance etc further increases the problems.
A significant change in the Indian Railways came after the year 2004. The 156 years old Indian Railways was regarded as a hopeless, loss making organisation, with too little revenue, too many problems. Steps were taken to increase the demand rather than the price. A team of experts proposed and applied some simple techniques effectively on a per train basis. Subsequently, fares were increased in line with the demand, giving the railways the much needed cash flow to improve its services. Thus with these efforts, Indian Railways was able to book profits. After 2010, the railways went back into problematic phase. The funds started shrinking, therefore improvement in passenger amenities could not be carried out.
However, the recently elected government has again brought in a ray of hope for the good days for ‘Indian Railways’. Surprisingly, Indian train fares are among the cheapest in the world. With such fares, Railways paced its steps well with the technological advancement. The e-ticketing for making reservations and mobile app system to track train schedule are some major breakthroughs
Explanation:
The reason for the availability of cardamom from Guatemala at cheaper rates, is Because _____