Description : | • CSIR-Aroma Mission has successfully demonstrated the technologies of CSIR on an area of more than 30,000 hectares, amply benefitting a large number of farmers and their families through enhanced incomes and utilization of their marginal/wastelands. Cultivating aroma crops in a large area has been a source of quality raw material for our aroma industry, and India could achieve global leadership in the case of lemongrass oil.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission, apart from immensely benefitting farmers and our indigenous essential oil-based industries, could generate rural employment worth 60 lakh man-days and produce more than 2000 tonnes of high-quality essential oil worth more than 300 crores, considerably reducing the import burden and dependence on other countries for raw material significant among these being lavender, vetiver, etc.
• Although activities of CSIR-Aroma Mission of both Phase-I and II created a positive impact in terms of the volume of various oils produced, a gap still exists in the demand and production of several oils. This needs more tremendous efforts to intervene in essential oils to meet the global challenges and opportunities existing in view of the growing market of essential oils and their use in diverse applications. CSIR, therefore, once again proposes to intensify its efforts on a mission mode (CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III) to contribute more towards society and industry.
• The nodal laboratory is CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow. The participating laboratories are CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur; CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu; CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Lucknow; CSIR-North-East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Jorhat, CSIR - Unit for Research and Development of Information Products (CSIR-URDIP), Pune; CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, (CSIR-NCL) Pune; CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad; CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CEERI), Pilani; CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) and CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research(CSIR-IITR), Lucknow.
• Phase III of CSIR-Aroma Mission aims to bring transformative changes in the aroma sector by deploying various technologies in the area of cultivation, high-yielding varieties, low-cost and environment-friendly processing technologies, value-addition for supporting the growth of the industry and promoting entrepreneurship besides providing higher benefits to the farmers.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III would mainly target the aroma crops whose essential oils are still imported in massive amounts so that our user industry could minimize their dependence on other countries for raw materials. Also, efforts would be made to sustain the productivity of crops where India positions itself as one of the largest producers of specific essential oils. In addition, the Phase III activities may help our country attain the global leadership position in producing at least two more essential oils (Palmarosa and Vetiver). It is pertinent to mention here that scientific interventions made under the CSIR-Aroma Mission, along with the hard work of farmers and cooperation of the aroma industry, helped India to attain global leadership in the production and export of Lemongrass oil.
• The main focus of CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III is to develop technologies for the sustainable cultivation of aroma crops so that these crops can be successfully cultivated with minimal use of chemicals without harming our ecosystem. Under this phase, CSIR would deploy sustainable agro and processing technologies that would efficiently use natural resources and would be an integral part of forming sustainable aroma clusters. Also, processing units with minimal emissions would be part of such sustainable aroma clusters.
• Looking at the shrinking natural resources and climate change, developing and deploying agro-technologies and varieties that could be resource-efficient would be an integral part of Phase III of the CSIR-Aroma Mission. Technologies related to precision agriculture that would optimize the timing and dose of agri-inputs would be developed and later deployed using unarmed aerial vehicles (UAV) in major crops like Mints and Lemongrass.
• The special emphasis under CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III will be on developing technologies focussing on a circular economy utilizing distillation waste, wastewater, and hydrosols for value-added chemicals and products. In addition, technologies to supplement the incomes of farmers by integrating activities like beekeeping, mushroom cultivation, etc., would be promoted.
• Efforts in Phase III will be made to develop processing technologies based on renewable energy resources minimizing dependence on biomass burning, creating significant pollution by emitting high volumes of carbon. This will also minimize the depletion of non-renewable energy resources. Technologies to optimize the time, temperature, pressure, etc., required in the distillation process will also be developed for extracting maximum oil in minimal time.
• An additional area, involving crops having great export potential or minimizing imports, of around 16,000 hectares would be brought under cultivation in the next three years to maximize exports with minimal dependence on other countries for several essential oils in line with ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Further, these crops in the farmers’ fields would catalyze the expansion of aroma crops on a much larger area of the country by improving the availability of high-quality planting material nearby.
• Cultivation of aroma crops promoted under CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase I-III would yield an additional 3000 tonnes of essential oil annually for our aroma, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food & flavour industries worth Rs. 450 crores, generating an overall business of essential oils and their value-added products worth Rs. 600-700 crores.
• The activities of CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III would enhance growers' income and promote sustainable cultivation and processing technologies while protecting our environment. This would ensure quality raw materials on a sustainable basis for producing quality products, leading to a boom in the herbal industry based on essential oils. Scientific validation of essential oil-based products for their safety and toxicity proposed under this mission would further add value to the products and their larger acceptance globally.
• The cultivation of these crops through efficient use of resources, including agri-chemicals would reduce the cost of cultivation and considerably increase the net profits. It is expected that the income of farmers will increase to the tune of Rs. 60,000 to 70,000 per hectare per year, considering the integration of other crops and activities in the cultivation and processing of aroma crops.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III would reach out to 1,00,000 farmers to promote selected aroma crops and provide training for cultivating and processing aroma crops. About 50,000 skilled human resource would be generated through various skill development programmes with special emphasis on value-addition of essential oils.
• It is envisaged that by the end of Phase III, CSIR Aroma Mission will be able to extend the benefits of CSIR technologies to more than 1,00,000 farming families creating employment opportunities in rural and industrial sectors. CSIR Aroma Mission activities would be beneficial for the migrants looking for jobs in urban areas and, therefore would be an important step towards reverse migration.
• The technological interventions under the Phase III of CSIR Aroma Mission would ensure handsome benefits to the growers enhancing their incomes by 1.5–2 folds or even more. The interventions would be particularly useful under the climates or the farming lands not suitable for the cultivation of conventional crops, like frequent episodes of deficient rainfall/drought, floods, salinity, etc. Because of the higher tolerance of aroma crops to various stresses, these crops would be a boon for the farmers of drought-affected areas of Rajasthan, Bundelkhand, Odisha, Vidarbha; flood-affected regions of Tamil Nadu, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam; salt-affected areas of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, etc. The selected crops would also ensure significant benefits in the areas prone to attacks of wild and/or domestic animals in the difficult terrains of hilly areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and several North Eastern states.
• It is proposed that the benefits of CSIR technologies under CSIR-Aroma Mission would be extended to different tribal areas of Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, North Eastern states, etc., by creating awareness about the advantages of these crops like higher income generation, tolerance to weather extremes, not affected by wild/domestic animals and providing them planting materials of superior varieties suitable for their region.
• The mission would put in place the mechanism to link farmers with the industry so that the farmers should get full value or fair price for their produce. Frequent interactions with the industry, both in India and abroad, would guide estimating the demand for various oils.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission, through its frequent interactions with farmers, making them aware of the recent technological advancements through training and agro-advisories would ensure higher productivity and benefits.
• The interactive market portals would ease the sale of essential oils at fair prices and identify the source of raw materials for the industries.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission activities would fuel the growth of aroma industries by generating sufficient amounts of oil domestically, creating opportunities for start-ups, and achieving global leadership in the aroma sector.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission has successfully demonstrated the technologies of CSIR on an area of more than 30,000 hectares, amply benefitting a large number of farmers and their families through enhanced incomes and utilization of their marginal/wastelands. Cultivating aroma crops in a large area has been a source of quality raw material for our aroma industry, and India could achieve global leadership in the case of lemongrass oil.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission, apart from immensely benefitting farmers and our indigenous essential oil-based industries, could generate rural employment worth 60 lakh man-days and produce more than 2000 tonnes of high-quality essential oil worth more than 300 crores, considerably reducing the import burden and dependence on other countries for raw material significant among these being lavender, vetiver, etc.
• Although activities of CSIR-Aroma Mission of both Phase-I and II created a positive impact in terms of the volume of various oils produced, a gap still exists in the demand and production of several oils. This needs more tremendous efforts to intervene in essential oils to meet the global challenges and opportunities existing in view of the growing market of essential oils and their use in diverse applications. CSIR, therefore, once again proposes to intensify its efforts on a mission mode (CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III) to contribute more towards society and industry.
• The nodal laboratory is CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP), Lucknow. The participating laboratories are CSIR-Institute of Himalayan Bioresource Technology (CSIR-IHBT), Palampur; CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu; CSIR-National Botanical Research Institute (CSIR-NBRI), Lucknow; CSIR-North-East Institute of Science and Technology (CSIR-NEIST), Jorhat, CSIR - Unit for Research and Development of Information Products (CSIR-URDIP), Pune; CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, (CSIR-NCL) Pune; CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Technology (CSIR-IICT), Hyderabad; CSIR-Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CEERI), Pilani; CSIR-Indian Institute of Petroleum (CSIR-IIP) and CSIR- Indian Institute of Toxicology Research(CSIR-IITR), Lucknow.
• Phase III of CSIR-Aroma Mission aims to bring transformative changes in the aroma sector by deploying various technologies in the area of cultivation, high-yielding varieties, low-cost and environment-friendly processing technologies, value-addition for supporting the growth of the industry and promoting entrepreneurship besides providing higher benefits to the farmers.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III would mainly target the aroma crops whose essential oils are still imported in massive amounts so that our user industry could minimize their dependence on other countries for raw materials. Also, efforts would be made to sustain the productivity of crops where India positions itself as one of the largest producers of specific essential oils. In addition, the Phase III activities may help our country attain the global leadership position in producing at least two more essential oils (Palmarosa and Vetiver). It is pertinent to mention here that scientific interventions made under the CSIR-Aroma Mission, along with the hard work of farmers and cooperation of the aroma industry, helped India to attain global leadership in the production and export of Lemongrass oil.
• The main focus of CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III is to develop technologies for the sustainable cultivation of aroma crops so that these crops can be successfully cultivated with minimal use of chemicals without harming our ecosystem. Under this phase, CSIR would deploy sustainable agro and processing technologies that would efficiently use natural resources and would be an integral part of forming sustainable aroma clusters. Also, processing units with minimal emissions would be part of such sustainable aroma clusters.
• Looking at the shrinking natural resources and climate change, developing and deploying agro-technologies and varieties that could be resource-efficient would be an integral part of Phase III of the CSIR-Aroma Mission. Technologies related to precision agriculture that would optimize the timing and dose of agri-inputs would be developed and later deployed using unarmed aerial vehicles (UAV) in major crops like Mints and Lemongrass.
• The special emphasis under CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III will be on developing technologies focussing on a circular economy utilizing distillation waste, wastewater, and hydrosols for value-added chemicals and products. In addition, technologies to supplement the incomes of farmers by integrating activities like beekeeping, mushroom cultivation, etc., would be promoted.
• Efforts in Phase III will be made to develop processing technologies based on renewable energy resources minimizing dependence on biomass burning, creating significant pollution by emitting high volumes of carbon. This will also minimize the depletion of non-renewable energy resources. Technologies to optimize the time, temperature, pressure, etc., required in the distillation process will also be developed for extracting maximum oil in minimal time.
• An additional area, involving crops having great export potential or minimizing imports, of around 16,000 hectares would be brought under cultivation in the next three years to maximize exports with minimal dependence on other countries for several essential oils in line with ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Further, these crops in the farmers’ fields would catalyze the expansion of aroma crops on a much larger area of the country by improving the availability of high-quality planting material nearby.
• Cultivation of aroma crops promoted under CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase I-III would yield an additional 3000 tonnes of essential oil annually for our aroma, pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food & flavour industries worth Rs. 450 crores, generating an overall business of essential oils and their value-added products worth Rs. 600-700 crores.
• The activities of CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III would enhance growers' income and promote sustainable cultivation and processing technologies while protecting our environment. This would ensure quality raw materials on a sustainable basis for producing quality products, leading to a boom in the herbal industry based on essential oils. Scientific validation of essential oil-based products for their safety and toxicity proposed under this mission would further add value to the products and their larger acceptance globally.
• The cultivation of these crops through efficient use of resources, including agri-chemicals would reduce the cost of cultivation and considerably increase the net profits. It is expected that the income of farmers will increase to the tune of Rs. 60,000 to 70,000 per hectare per year, considering the integration of other crops and activities in the cultivation and processing of aroma crops.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission Phase III would reach out to 1,00,000 farmers to promote selected aroma crops and provide training for cultivating and processing aroma crops. About 50,000 skilled human resource would be generated through various skill development programmes with special emphasis on value-addition of essential oils.
• It is envisaged that by the end of Phase III, CSIR Aroma Mission will be able to extend the benefits of CSIR technologies to more than 1,00,000 farming families creating employment opportunities in rural and industrial sectors. CSIR Aroma Mission activities would be beneficial for the migrants looking for jobs in urban areas and, therefore would be an important step towards reverse migration.
• The technological interventions under the Phase III of CSIR Aroma Mission would ensure handsome benefits to the growers enhancing their incomes by 1.5–2 folds or even more. The interventions would be particularly useful under the climates or the farming lands not suitable for the cultivation of conventional crops, like frequent episodes of deficient rainfall/drought, floods, salinity, etc. Because of the higher tolerance of aroma crops to various stresses, these crops would be a boon for the farmers of drought-affected areas of Rajasthan, Bundelkhand, Odisha, Vidarbha; flood-affected regions of Tamil Nadu, Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam; salt-affected areas of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, etc. The selected crops would also ensure significant benefits in the areas prone to attacks of wild and/or domestic animals in the difficult terrains of hilly areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and several North Eastern states.
• It is proposed that the benefits of CSIR technologies under CSIR-Aroma Mission would be extended to different tribal areas of Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, North Eastern states, etc., by creating awareness about the advantages of these crops like higher income generation, tolerance to weather extremes, not affected by wild/domestic animals and providing them planting materials of superior varieties suitable for their region.
• The mission would put in place the mechanism to link farmers with the industry so that the farmers should get full value or fair price for their produce. Frequent interactions with the industry, both in India and abroad, would guide estimating the demand for various oils.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission, through its frequent interactions with farmers, making them aware of the recent technological advancements through training and agro-advisories would ensure higher productivity and benefits.
• The interactive market portals would ease the sale of essential oils at fair prices and identify the source of raw materials for the industries.
• CSIR-Aroma Mission activities would fuel the growth of aroma industries by generating sufficient amounts of oil domestically, creating opportunities for start-ups, and achieving global leadership in the aroma sector. |