Why Green Cardamom Is So Expensive

Green cardamom is the third most expensive spice in the world, after saffron and vanilla. Just 100 grams of the spice can cost about $9. That’s about $90 for a kilogram. But getting that little bit of cardamom requires a lot of work. Harvesters need to collect 6 kilograms of raw pods by hand to produce just 1 kilogram of green cardamom. So why is it so hard to grow green cardamom? And is that what makes it so expensive?