Purple revolution

Why is in news? Bhaderwah has emerged as the Lavender capital of India and Agri StartUp destination, says Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh

• CSIR- Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine, Jammu has organised the event as part of its One Week One Lab Campaign.
• The valley of Bhaderwah is the best example of development of the present progressive government at the centre which should have been celebrated much earlier, Bhaderwah being the best place for lavender cultivation in terms of land and climate.
• The lavender cultivation has changed the lives of many farmers and it is heartening to note that Prime Minister of India in the 99th Edition of Mann ki Baat, appreciated the efforts of the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research- Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM) in supporting farmers in the cultivation of Lavender in the Bhaderwah, Doda district, J&K under CSIR-Aroma Mission.
• The CSIR-Aroma Mission is a flagship project of CSIR under which Lavender cultivation is being promoted in the temperate regions of J&K, as a part of Purple Revolution.
• The aim of the project is to increase the income of small and marginal farmers and develop agriculture-based Startups. The project is being directly monitored by the Ministry of Science & Technology.
• Aromatic Plants include lavender, damask rose, mushk bala, etc.
• In India, the lavender crop is cultivated in low rainfall regions and on the slopes of hills of Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The lavender crop is also successfully grown in the Kashmir valley region.

Purple Revolution:

• The Purple or Lavender Revolution was launched in 2016 by the Union Ministry of Science & Technology through the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research’s (CSIR) Aroma Mission.
• Lavender cultivation is practiced in almost all the 20 districts of Jammu & Kashmir.
• Under the mission, first-time farmers were given free lavender saplings, while those who had cultivated lavender before were charged Rs. 5-6 per sapling.
• The aim is to support domestic aromatic crop based agro economy by moving from imported aromatic oils to homegrown varieties.
• The main product is Lavender oil which sells for at least Rs. 10,000 per litre. Lavender water, which separates from lavender oil, is used to make incense sticks. Hydrosol, which is formed after distillation from the flowers, is used to make soaps and room fresheners.

Aroma mission:

• The nodal agency for the mission is CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow.
• The CSIR Aroma Mission is envisaged to bring transformative change in the aroma sector through desired interventions in the areas of agriculture, processing and product development for fuelling the growth of aroma industry and rural employment.
• The mission will promote the cultivation of aromatic crops for essential oils that are in great demand by the aroma industry.
• It is expected to enable Indian farmers and aroma industry to become global leaders in the production and export of some other essential oils on the pattern of menthol mint.
• It aims to provide substantial benefits to the farmers in achieving higher profits, utilization of waste lands and protection of their crops from wild and grazing animals.
• Aroma Mission Phase-I and II:
• During Phase-I, CSIR helped cultivate 6000 hectares of land and covered 46 Aspirational districts across the country. Further, more than 44,000 people were trained.
• In 2021 CSIR launched Phase-II of Aroma Mission in which it is proposed to engage over 45,000 skilled human resources and will benefit more than 75,000 farming families across the country.
• The phase II focuses on setting up of cooperatives for marketing, promotion of cultivation and processing of high value medicinal and aromatic plants (MAPs), development of superior varieties and their agro technologies, setting up of distillation units and processing facilities, skill and entrepreneurship development, value-addition and product development from MAPs.