CSIR’s ‘Jammu-Kashmir Arogya Gram Yojana’ enables value added agriculture of aromatic and medicinal plants

The JK Aroma Arogya Gram project was launched in July 2015 at Basohli by Dr. Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for DONER (Independent charge) and MoS for PMO Personnel, Public Grievances &Pensions, Department of Atomic Energy and Department of Space, in presence of Minister for Health and Medical Education Ch Lal Singh. The CSIR institutes namely, CSIR-IIIM, CSIR-CIMAP, CSIR-IHBT, CSIR-NBRI and CSIR-NEIST are participating in the project being implemented in ten districts of J&K for job and wealth creation through intensive cultivation of CSIR technology of high value, low volume medicinal and aromatic crop. The benefits of the JAAG project include handholding of the farmers by CSIR for cultivation of medicinal plants, besides providing unemployed youth an opportunity to set up ventures in cultivation of medicinal plants. Awareness camps for farmers of the area besides demonstrations of Mobile Distillation Unit for extraction of essential oils are conducted under the project. Over 305 farmers across Ramban, Doda, Udhampur, Kishtwar and Kathua with cultivation across 152.5 acres of land have been identified as beneficiaries under the programme. So far, seventy three farmers in 14 villages of Kathua district (J&K) have been distributed slips of lemongrass, Java citronella and vetiver for cultivation in 17.47 hectares area under the JAAG project by CSIR-IIIM and CSIR-CIMAP.