CSIR aroma mission: Fragrance of marigold, lemon grass to pervade Palampur

Under the aroma mission, 10 lakh lemon grass slips and 75kg seeds of aromatic marigold, will be sown on around 336 acres in Palampur

Lemon grass and marigold will soon be cultivated in gram panchayats and societies around Palampur under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR) aroma mission.

Aromatic crops are widely cultivated around the world due to their high-value essential oils, which are used in agrochemical, food, flavouring, perfumery, and pharmaceutical industries. (Representative Image/HT File)

The Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT) Palampur, has signed a pact with Dev Surya Himalayan Organic Private Limited to promote the cultivation of aromatic crops. Under the aroma mission, 10 lakh lemon grass slips and 75kg seeds of aromatic marigold, will be sown on around 336 acres. The project will benefit 1,209 farmers of the region.

CSIR-IHBT, Palampur, director Sanjay Kumar said the aroma mission had been initiated in 2017 to promote the cultivation of high-value aromatic crops for socio-economic upliftment and employment generation for the farming community and rural masses.

“Under the second phase of the aroma mission, around 3,000 hectares will be brought under cultivation,” he said.

Aromatic crops are widely cultivated around the world due to their high-value essential oils, which are used in agrochemical, food, flavouring, perfumery, and pharmaceutical industries. The global essential oils market size was valued at $ 10.3 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $16 billion by 2026, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 9.3%, Kumar said.