MoU signed for cultivation of high-value aromatic crops like rose, marigold & mint

The fragrance of the high revenue-earning aromatic plants seems to have caught the fancy of the small farmers residing in the high-altitude cold arid zones of Leh-Ladakh.

Tapping in on this growing interest among farmers, Ladakh Farmers and Producers Cooperative Limited (LFPCL), Leh and Ladakh recently inked a pact with Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR) Palampur-based lab, Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (IHBT) for cultivation of the high-value aromatic crops like rose, marigold and mint.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a processing unit to churn out essential oils from these crops at village Ranbirpura, Thiksay and Leh is being set up. Dr Sanjay Kumar, Director, CSIR-IHBT, Palampur said processing unit is indispensable for value addition of aromatic plants and establishment of this facility in Leh will benefit the local farmers of Leh district.

“As the region is deprived of natural irrigation facilities and is suitable for the cultivation of high value aromatic crops such as damask rose, chamomile, wild marigold, dracocephalum, lavender and saffron, so CSIR-IHBT recognised this area for the cultivation of these crops,” he explained.

Dr Kumar said seeds of wild marigold, chamomile and saffron have also been provided to the farmers along with the complete information package of agro technologies which will help them in proper cultivation of these crops.

The project is being undertaken under the CSIR’s Aroma Mission programme started two years ago with an aim to promote the aromatic crops and to bring additional area of 5,500 ha under these crops for socio-economic upliftment and employment generation for farming community and rural masses.

Dr ML Mantoo, CEO, LFPCL and former adviser to the Ministry of Rural Development said this partnership will allow them to work in collaboration with premier CSIR institute in cultivating aromatic crops in lager area of Leh and Ladakh region and to provide maximum benefit to farmers.

Dr Rakesh Kumar, Principal Scientist, CSIR-IHBT said Leh and Ladakh region is suitable for cultivation of high value aromatic crops where unique aroma compound can be produced which have huge demand in the international perfumery and fragrance industries.

To promote cultivation, awareness-cum-training programme has been held in villages like Ranbirpura of district Leh where large number of farmers participated. Leh- Ladakh is located in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent with an area of about 59,146 km.

With CSIR-IHBT’s efforts, Himachal Pradesh has already become the largest producer of high-quality wild marigold essential oil in India, meeting the demand of perfume, flavouring, and condiment industries. A good number of farmers in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir have already taken up the cultivation. In fact, an area of about 214 hectares has been bought under wild marigold cultivation by more than 600 farmers in the hilly region. The crop is suitable for cultivation in the plains as well as on the hills as a mono-crop or inter-crop in orchards/forest/medicinal/ aromatic plants.

Aromatic crops are widely cultivated around the world due to its high-revenue earning essential oils which are utilised in perfumery, food, flavoring, pharmaceutical and agrochemical industry.