Aroma Festival
Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu is one of the premier Research and Development institutes under Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. It was established in 1957 at Jammu and has a branch laboratory at Srinagar. It has four farms attached to it and has developed advanced infrastructure and expertise in the area of medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation and their value addition. For the last few years Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine has been aggressively trying to introduce the cultivation of high value, low volume aromatic crops in different areas of Jammu and Kashmir. It has established many progressive farmers for the commercial cultivation of aromatic plants such as rose, lavender, tagetus, Cymbopogons, mentha etc., under public private partnership mode. Several awareness cum training programs have been conducted in Kashmir region for organized cultivation of aromatic crops and develop value added products from these cash crops. It has also made arrangement for market hand holding of the products produced in the Kashmir region.
On the demand of rural, backward, marginal farmers and ex-serviceman, IIIM has now extended the cultivation of suitable aromatic crops in Jammu region such as Bhaderwah, Kishtwar and Banihal. Initial experiments conducted in this region have shown that the aromatic crops and their products produced in these regions are of very high quality. Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine has now organized the farmers of Jammu region for the cultivation of selected aromatic crops to generate self employment and revenue. It is believed that the cultivation of these crops and production of value added products shall change the economy of this region in the years come.
As continuation of this effort Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine has organized J&K Aroma Festival at Bhaderwah from 4th to 8th August, 2014 in which IIIM shall showcase the technologies available for the benefit of this region. IIIM has invited farmers, entrepreneurs and interested stakeholders from near and far villages to participate in this event. IIIM has also invited other sister laboratories to showcase their rural based technologies in this mega event. Other relevant departments of J&K state government such as Agriculture, Horticulture, Floriculture, ISM and Health Department etc., have also been invited so that it multifarious activities for the benefit of common farmer are showcased under one roof.