Wild marigold oil yields good returns to farmers

Lalit Mohan

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Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, September 22

Himachal Pradesh has attained the number one position in production of essential oil of wild marigold flower.

The Director of the Institute of Himachal Bio-Resource Technology (IHBT), a CSIR centre at Palampur, Dr Sanjay Kumar said during the last two years, the IHBT had brought more than 500 hectares under the crop.

The cultivation of wild marigold had resulted in the production of 7.6 tonnes of essential oil in Himachal that helped in revenue generation of Rs 5.56 crore benefiting 861 farmers. To uplift the cultivation of aromatic crops to double farmers’ income, different small societies of progressive farmers have been formed by the CSIR-IHBT, he said.

Nineteen processing units had been set up to empower the farmers for the production of essential oil.

The main wild marigold growing regions are Bhatiyat and Salooni in Chamba; Seraj and Gogardhar in Mandi; Banjar in Kullu and Rampur in Shimla, Sanjay said.

Farmers of the remote regions are taking up cultivation of aromatic crops to revive agriculture as they are facing problems on account of non-remunerative returns and increasing incidences of crop loss owing to stray animal menace.

Sanjay said aromatic crops were widely cultivated around the world due to its high-revenue earning essential oil which is utilised in agrochemical, food, flavoring, perfumery and pharmaceutical industry.

The global essential oil market demand was 22.6 lakh tonne in 2018 and projected to expand at a CAGR of 8.6 per cent from 2019 to 2025, he said.

To promote cultivation of these aromatic crops among farmers, a complete package of agro and processing technologies had been developed and executed in the fields to help farmers realise the profits. Depending upon the quality and quantity of essential oil, farmers of hills can earn net profit of Rs 1.5 lakh per hectare annually, he said.