The Hindu Business Line : Patchouli movement gaining ground in Siddapur

Fourteen villages around the town have been chosen to be part of a three-year `patchouli movement' of the Central Institute of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants (CIMAP). Under its recent Biovillage Project on patchouli, the first of its kind, the institute is encouraging a select band of 10 small and marginal farmers to each grow the aromatic herb on 1-2 acres of land. CIMAP has so far supplied 10,000 plants along with know-how and training in cultivating the plant, either on the entire holding or as inter-cropping in plantations and expects the farmers to sell their crop and bring more people into the chain.

The plan is to start with around 20 acres and increase the patchouli expanse in these villages to 50-100 acres by the end of the project period, according to Dr E.V.S. Prakasa Rao, scientist-in-charge of CIMAP's Bangalore Resource Centre. Phase 1 of the Biovillage plan has been in force in eight villages since August 2003.

Patchouli grows easily in warm, humid southern Indian soils and enjoys a huge international market for its essential oil. Patchouli oil sells at Rs 1,200-1,500 per kg and is lifted in large quantities by the flavours and fragrances industries of the US and Europe. However, the domestic supply of barely a tonne is nowhere near the annual demand for 1,000 tonnes. With each acre of pure crop yielding 30 kg to 40 kg of oil a year, Dr Prakasa Rao said the CIMAP initiative would be a small, 3-tonne patch on the large demand.

Patchouli has been estimated to get among the top returns of Rs 74,000 per hectare per year. Dr Rao said patchouli, along with geranium, citronella, lemongrass and rosemary, is a good candidate for arecanut or other planters to diversify into. A similar project on geranium has been started in the Uttaranchal hills.

The patchouli initiative, he said, was not meant to replace existing crops but to promote the use of aromatic plants in interspaces and wastelands so that farmers get consistently good returns on their cultivation. "We have taken this as a three-year project on mission mode. CIMAP now wants to introduce patchouli in northern India too and this is an emerging area of our research," he told Business Line.

To take the Siddapur project forward, CIMAP has also trained a farmer to take up distillation and build up market linkages. The next batch of farmers has been identified and the project will be extended to more areas by the end of this year, he said.

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