Farmers' income doubled mainly due to govt's aroma mission: CSIR DG

Farmers' income more than doubled primarily due to the government's 'aroma mission', CSIR Director-General N Kalaiselvi said on Monday.

Addressing the media on the preparations of 82nd Council of Scientific & Industrial Research Foundation Day celebration on Tuesday, Kalaiselvi said the CSIR has been working towards doubling farmers income and under the aroma mission of CSIR, "farmers' income has increased to the tune of 2.5 times".

The 'aroma mission', also known as Purple Revolution, began in Jammu and Kashmir and aims to generate rural employment for farmers engaged in cultivation in aromatic crops.

The mission's objective is to spur entrepreneurship in the manufacturing of aromatic oils and other aromatic products, and to lower import of essential and aromatic oils.

Kalaiselvi said lemongrass exports have increased 600 times under the Purple Revolution.

Speaking to PTI on the sidelines of the event, she said under the mission, farmers have been not just provided with seeds and seedlings but also taught the cultivation process.

"Not only the farmers, but their families too are being taught. We hand-hold the entire family and the scientists are no longer sitting in the laboratory and watching and monitoring, she said.

Scientists now reach out to the farmers. They also go to the paddy field or the area in which the crop or the plant is grown and even post harvesting (scientists provide) whatever help they (farmers) require, the CSIR DG said.

Scientists also connect the farmers to the local NGOs so that they are involved end-to-end, from the cultivation stage to taking the produce to the market, she said.

"We hand-hold the farmers and we give training free of cost. Seedlings are given free of cost and our equipment is also transported to their area for oil extraction," she said.

The CSIR's Foundation Day will have Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Science and Technology, as the chief guest, while Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman S Somanath and Secretary, Department of Space will deliver the foundation day lecture.

At the event, the prestigious Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize-2022 will be awarded to the twelve winners.