The elevation, loamy soil and forest foliage of the eastern sub-Himalayan mountains are ideal for large cardamom cultivation. Cardamom plantations cover about 22,000 hectares in Sikkim which produces 4,000 tonnes of the spice annually
Links:
[1] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/news/spice-woes
[2] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/newspaper/down-earth
[3] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/eastern-himalaya
[4] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/plant-diseases
[5] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/spices
[6] http://admin.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/category/thesaurus/sikkim