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Lavender Festival 2025
Why in News?
Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 2-day Lavender Festival 2025, organized by CSIR–IIIM Jammu, highlighting Bhaderwah’s transformation into a national hub for agri-business innovation.
- The cultivation of lavender, a fragrant flower, has not only given the town a national identity but has also become a symbol of India’s rural startup revolution.
Key Points
India’s Purple Revolution
- About the Lavender Festival: It is held annually to promote aromatic farming and marks a vital part of the ‘Purple Revolution’, a central initiative under the Aroma Mission to boost farmer incomes through high-value crops.
- Lavender Cultivation: The state of Kashmir in India is perceived as the hub of medicinal plants.
- Lavender, particularly, shows promising potential as a therapeutic and aromatic herb that can positively contribute to India’s economic and medical prospects.
- Lavender is suitable for J&K’s climate, tolerating cold winters and mild summers.
- It is a low maintenance crop with the productive life of about 15 years starting from the second year.
- It provides higher returns compared to traditional crops.
- Bhaderwah has emerged as the lavender capital of India, turning many former conflict-ridden villages into hubs of agro-based prosperity.
- Lavender, particularly, shows promising potential as a therapeutic and aromatic herb that can positively contribute to India’s economic and medical prospects.
- The Aroma Mission: It was launched by the Ministry of Science & Technology and the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR).
- It aims to promote lavender cultivation commercially to boost farmers' income.
- Lavender oil sells for around ₹10,000 per liter.
- Other products include medicines, incense sticks, soaps, and air fresheners.
- Mission Progress and Future Plans:
- Phase-I Achievements:
- Reached 46 aspirational districts across India.
- Trained over 44,000 farmers and entrepreneurs.
- Phase-II Goals:
- Plan to employ over 45,000 skilled workers.
- Targeting support for more than 75,000 farming households nationwide.
- Phase-I Achievements:
- Branding and Market Expansion:
- One District One Product (ODOP) Initiative:
- Lavender is designated as the "Doda brand product" under ODOP-DEH (Districts as Export Hub) scheme.
- Helps promote lavender cultivation and support farmers, entrepreneurs, and agribusinesses.
- One District One Product (ODOP) Initiative:
- Overall Mission Objectives:
- Revolutionize India’s fragrance industry.
- Expand the aroma sector and generate rural employment.
- Support cultivation, product refinement, market development, and expansion strategies for lavender.
Significance of the Lavender Festival
- Rising Incomes and Employment:
- Lavender cultivation has become a major source of income for local farmers and entrepreneurs.
- On average, young individuals involved in lavender farming in the region are earning more than ₹65 lakhs annually.
- This growth has led to increased interest in agriculture as a viable and profitable career option.
- Infrastructure and Market Access:
- Around 50 lavender distillation units are currently operating in Bhaderwah.
- These units process lavender into various products that are distributed to states such as Maharashtra and beyond.
- The presence of this infrastructure has created a strong value chain and opened new market opportunities.
- National Recognition and Policy Alignment:
- The lavender initiative aligns with national programs like Startup India and Standup India, which aim to promote entrepreneurship and self-reliance across different sectors.
- Expanding the Scope of Startups:
- Lavender farming in Bhaderwah challenges the traditional notion that startups are limited to technology or urban centers.
- The model shows that individuals from diverse backgrounds, including rural and non-technical sectors, can succeed as entrepreneurs.
- Efforts are being made to encourage participation from all age groups, including senior citizens, in upcoming editions of the festival.
- Interest from Other Regions:
- The success of lavender cultivation in Bhaderwah has attracted interest from states like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and the Northeast, with representatives attending the festival to explore its replication.