CSIR-IIIM Aroma Mission team received the "Ultra International Team Award"

Aromatic crops are some of the most profitable but underutilized crops, which have immense potential to alleviate socio-economic conditions of small and marginal farmers. Essential oils of these crops have very high demand in national and international market. However, the growth opportunities in this sector have not been fully utilized. In order to bring a decisive and transformative change in the rural economy, market dynamics and growth opportunity, CSIR-Aroma Mission project has been conceptualized which aims to provide end-to-end technology and value-addition solutions. Under this Mission, CSIR-IIIM aims to bring about 5000 acres of additional area under cultivation of aromatic cash crops in 18 states of the country particularly targeting rain-fed / degraded land, provide technical and infrastructural support for distillation and value-addition to farmers/growers, enabling effective buy-back mechanisms to assure remunerative prices to the growers, value-addition to essential oils and aroma ingredients for their integration in global trade and economy, and conducting awareness and skill development programmes on cultivation and processing of aromatic crops. Nine high value aromatic cash crops selected by CSIR-IIIM in this project have tremendous potential to give a quantum leap to the aroma business. These crops are Lemongrass hybrids, Rosagrass/Himrosa, Lavender, Rosemary, Jammu Monarda, Clarysage, Mentha spp., Ocimum spp. and Geranium. So far, under this project in just one year, CSIR-IIIM has covered about 1250 acres of land benefitting more than 550 farmers across various regions of the country. In J&K region, these crops have also been introduced to the far flung border areas, such as Kupwara, Pulwama, Rajouri, Jammu, Kathua, Akhnoor, Kargil, Drass etc. in order to provide alternate employment opportunity to the otherwise terrorism effected people of the state. Collectively, this mission would help in bringing all the stakeholders of the aroma industry on a common platform for the economic upliftment of the farmers and providing the much deserving boost to the related industry.