Lavender Farming Emerges as New Income Source for Farmers

In Jammu and Kashmir, lavender farming is emerging as a promising new source of income for farmers. The first Lavender Festival held in Ganderbal highlighted how this government-initiated crop is now being adopted commercially in several districts.

Farmers are shifting from traditional crops like maize to lavender due to better market prospects and higher income. According to a BusinessLine report, farmer Mohammad Ashraf from Baramulla said the returns from lavender are several times higher than traditional crops.

The initiative started under the Central Government’s Aroma Mission by CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine. Over time, it has evolved into a market-driven model and is now seen as a profitable crop.

Lavender essential oil is used in perfumes, soaps, cosmetics, wellness, and pharmaceutical industries. Farmers also earn extra income by selling dried flowers, which fetch Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 per kg.

Lavender is now being cultivated in districts like Doda, Ramban, Udhampur, Anantnag, Pulwama, and Ganderbal, covering around 1,200 hectares. Under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme, the government is working on a cluster-based model. 14 lavender clusters have been established, benefiting 1,105 farmers.

A Centre of Excellence for medicinal and aromatic plants has been set up in Benhama, Ganderbal, to provide quality planting material, training, and support for scientific farming and processing.