Himachal’s Aroma Mission Boosts Fragrant Crop Farming

Under the CSIR-IHBT Aroma Mission’s third phase, efforts are being made to promote the cultivation of aromatic crops in the Palampur region of Himachal Pradesh. As part of this mission, awareness and training programs on the cultivation and processing of aromatic crops like lemon grass were organized in Maniyad Panchayat in Una district and Lag Baliana Panchayat in Pragpur block of Kangra district on July 18 and 20, 2023. Farmers in this region are facing challenges from non-profitable returns of traditional crops and damage caused by wild animals like monkeys and stray animals. To mitigate these losses and strengthen the rural economy, the CSIR-IHBT Aroma Mission aims to double farmers’ income through the cultivation of aromatic crops. The team surveyed potential areas for lemon grass cultivation, distributed 3 lakh slips on 27 acres of land, and conducted awareness programs. The lemon grass oil obtained from this crop is widely used in soap, detergents, and cosmetics, and also finds applications in aroma therapy. The mission is encouraging farmers to opt for profitable aromatic crop cultivation in the region, thus making their income more sustainable.