Changing lives
Under Aroma Mission, Lavender cultivation has changed the lives of a large number of farmers in Jammu and Kashmir.
Lavender cultivation is picking up in Bhaderwah district and it has changed the economic condition of many farmers.
The net annual income of farmers who switched from maize to Lavender cultivation has increased many folds from around Rs. 40,000/- to Rs. 60,000/- per hectare to Rs. 3,50,000/- to Rs. 6,00,000/- per hectare. Farmers of the Bhaderwah, Doda district, produced 300, 500, 800, and 1500 Litres of Lavender oil in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022, respectively. They earned Rs. 5 Crore between 2018-2022 by selling dry flowers, Lavender plants and Lavender oil. The successful end-to-end technology transfer on the cultivation of Lavender to the farmers of J&K by CSIR-IIIM, Jammu, under Aroma Mission has been widely covered nationally and internationally by print and electronic media. The media has recognized this initiative of CSIR-IIIM as the “Purple Revolution.” CSIR-IIIM received the CSIR award for S&T innovations for rural development (CAIRD- 2020) for Purple Revolution in Jammu & Kashmir: Rural Development Through Lavender Cultivation in J&K.
Prominent among many others present were Dr. D Srinivasa Reddy, Director, CSIR-IICT, Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, Director, CSIR-IIIM, Jammu, Dhanetar Singh, DDC Chairman, Doda, Sangeeta Rani Bhagat, DDC Vice Chairman, Doda, Vishesh Paul Mahajan, Deputy Commissioner Doda.
