UP farmers see moolah in mentha

The aroma of mint promises to spread farther in the rural hinterland in Uttar Pradesh with almost 1.2 lakh hectares under mentha farming this season.

UP farmers have undertaken mentha farming as an acre of mentha can give a return of up to Rs 30,000 in three months, which is quite high for any cash crop. Besides, the demand for mentha products is also rising in the international market, notably China and menthol industry is said to be growing at almost 15 per cent.

According to the state horticulture department, mentha (mint) farming covered almost one lakh hectares in 2007 and it is pegged at 1.2 lakh hectares this year. Mentha is cultivated extensively in the terai region of the state, including Rampur, Bareilly, Badaun, Moradabad, Saharanpur, Meerut, Barabanki, Faizabad, Rae Bareli, Lucknow and Sultanpur.

Another reason for the crop's popularity is that it takes lesser time for cultivation unlike other cash crops. Besides, the farmland is vacant during the time mentha is cultivated.

It is normally sown during March-April and is ready in 70-90 days around June-July, Ashish Yadav of village Bengi in Rae Bareli district said.

A downside to the crop is that it requires more water than most agricultural crops, but with the increase in irrigation facilities and tapping of conventional sources of irrigation like canal and ponds, the farmers are reaping good returns and the area under cultivation is increasing every season.

The horticulture department also imparts training to farmers to extract mentha oil from the plant by installing small distillation processing units.

The government provides credit linked back ended subsidy of 25 per cent of the total investment or Rs 1.25 lakh and Rs 5 lakh to small and big mentha units respectively, whichever is lower.

"The subsidy has a central and state component of 85 and 15 per cent respectively," the official informed. Another scheme gives a subsidy of Rs 11,250 per hectare to mentha farmers for cultivation, subject to a maximum of 4 hectares.

Mentha oil is used as industrial input in the manufacture of toothpaste, mouth freshener, medicine, drink, mouthwash, chewing gum, desserts and confectionery. Mint leaves are used in beverages, jellies and syrups.

Meanwhile, the state government has joined hands with Lucknow-based Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) to impart training to mentha farmers and entrepreneurs. CIMAP is accredited with developing four improved varieties of mentha used in the country, namely Himalaya, Kosi, Kushal and Saksham.

"We provide end-to-end training in mentha farming and production of mentha oil. Besides, we also facilitate the marketing of mentha oil," a CIMAP official said. Export-oriented Dev Aromatic Private Limited, Lucknow is engaged in the production of menthol crystal and menthol power. "We are primarily exporting to China and Singapore and I must admit that the demand is rising," Director Jitendra Gupta said.