Why in news? The Bhaderwah area in the mountainous Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing the ‘purple revolution’, with farmers deriving considerable economic benefits from it.

Highlights:

• Lavender has been designated by the central government as a “Doda brand product” to promote the rare aromatic plant and boost the morale of farmers, entrepreneurs, and agribusinesses involved in its cultivation as part of this Aroma Mission.

What is purple revolution?

• The Purple Revolution or Lavender Revolution, launched by the Ministry of Science & Technology, aims to promote the indigenous aromatic crop-based agro economy through the ‘aroma mission’ of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR).
• The mission aims to increase the income of the farmers and promote lavender cultivation on commercial scale.

About lavender plants:

• single plant bears flowers for 15 years, needs little maintenance and can be harvested from the second year of plantation onwards.
• The oil extracted from the plant is used in soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, room fresheners, medicines, etc.
• The Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) introduced lavender in the temperate regions of Jammu division under CSIR-Aroma Mission in 2017. This, saw 500-600 farmers switching over to lavender farming and 1000 kanals of land was brought under its cultivation.
• The cultivation of lavender is very cost-effective as it yields a revenue immediately.
• The lavender flowers are harvested from May end till June end. On an average, a farmer gets about Rs 10,000 for one kg of oil produced from lavender flowers. The average per kanal yield of lavender is 2.5 kgs oil.
• Jammu and Kashmir’s climatic conditions are conducive to lavender cultivation, since the aromatic plant can withstand both chilly winters and pleasant summers.
• Kathua, Udhampur, Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Srinagar, Pulwama, Kupwara, Bandipora, Budgam, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Kulgam and Baramulla districts, in particular, have made significant headway in this direction.

Aroma Mission

• Aroma Mission was extended for three years in 2020 and has been further extended by three more years from March 2023.
• It aims to bring about a revolutionary change in the fragrance industry, consequently promoting the expansion of the aroma sector and generating rural employment, through targeted interventions during cultivation, product refinement, market development and curating an expansion strategy for the lavender crop.
• Aroma Mission is drawing entrepreneurs and farmers from all across the country. CSIR assisted in the cultivation of 6000 hectares of land in 46 Aspirational districts across the country during Phase I.