"People often think cardamom is a lucrative crop - it may be. But it's also the toughest crop a farmer can cultivate," says Stanley Pothan, who has been farming cardamom in the southern Indian state of Kerala for decades.

Prized for centuries for its complex, aromatic flavour, cardamom is fiendishly difficult to grow.

"Cardamom is a very delicate plant - prone to diseases and pest attacks. You have to be constantly in the field, watching every leaf, every flower. It demands attention every single day," says Mr Pothan.

It's also extremely sensitive to weather conditions.

"Last year's summer was brutal - we lost a significant portion of our crop to the heat. Guatemala, the world's largest cardamom producer, lost almost 60% of its crop that season, and we too suffered badly here in Kerala," he adds.

That poor harvest contributed to a 70% jump in cardamom prices last year to 1,178 rupees (£10; $13) per kilo, up 70% compared to the previous year, according to figures from India's Spice Board.

Cardamom has always been expensive, usually the third costliest spice by weight, after saffron and vanilla.

Farmers would be keen to raise their output, but it's not easy.

"One bad summer or unexpected rain can wipe away the entire effort. That's the harsh reality of cardamom farming," says Mr Pothan.

The government-funded Indian Cardamom Research Institute (ICRI) is trying to ease the burden of tending to cardamom's needs.

"Our focus is on crop improvement, pest and disease surveillance, soil management, capacity building, and technology transfer related to cardamom," says A.B. Rameshwari, Director of the ICRI, which is part of the government's Spices Board of India.

One of its tools is an app that farmers can use to monitor........

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