The first auction was slated for January 15, and buyers from all over the country had turned up. However, lack of interest by the Siliguri RMC, headed by the sub-divisional officer of Siliguri, has stranded the growers as the cardamom season is almost over. The president of the All India Large Cardamom Growers' Association, Lemjing Tenzing, said West Bengal finance minister Asim Dasgupta had reduced the sales tax from six to three per cent, and all the departments concerned had given their clearance for the auction.

Incidentally, the rate has been exempted from the move towards uniformity.The growers, mostly small farmers in Sikkim and some areas in Darjeeling district, had been banking on the auction as they now have to sell their produce at low rates locally while middlemen make the money. Tenzing said the RMC has to provide officials for keeping records of transactions, receiving security deposits from bidders and other paperwork, but it had failed to fulfill its commitment. He said they had written to the finance minister, the agriculture marketing department as well as the Spices Board on January 25, urging them to ensure that an auction is held in February.However, the state's minister for agriculture marketing, Biren Kumar Maitra, pleaded ignorance of the matter, when contacted by The Financial Express.

Sources at the local office of the Spices Board said it had contacted the director of agriculture marketing immediately after receiving the letter from AILCGA, and was told that the directorate is trying to make a fresh start on February 15.