Officials said lavender flowers harvested from the farm are processed in the distillation unit to extract essential oil with medicinal and aromatic value.
Uri, Jul 04: Rows of lavender have burst into full bloom at the Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (MAP) Farm in Trikanjan, Boniyar, where the Agriculture Department has begun the facility’s first lavender distillation and is preparing to distribute 4,000–5,000 lavender and rosemary saplings among farmers in Uri’s border belt to promote cultivation of high-value medicinal and aromatic crops.
The initiative aims to encourage farmers to bring barren and hilly land under cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants, which officials say are well suited to the region’s terrain and can offer better economic returns than conventional crops. The saplings will be distributed under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) to expand aromatic crop cultivation across the border belt.
Mahmood Khan, a farmer, said the farm had generated employment for local residents and created new livelihood opportunities for farming families. He said the initiative had benefited not only workers at the farm but also people living in nearby villages, adding that it had become a source of hope for the local community.
Mohd Yousuf Naikoo, another farmer, said barren land could be brought under lavender and rosemary cultivation with technical guidance from the Agriculture Department. He said aromatic farming required relatively less effort than conventional crops and could help improve farmers’ incomes by making productive use of otherwise unused land.
Dr Sharan Gurdev Singh, a farm official, said the farm currently grows ten species of medicinal and aromatic plants, including lavender, rosemary, kuth (Saussurea costus), artemisia, digitalis, muskbala and zakhmi hayat. He said lavender was in full bloom and that the facility had begun its first distillation process. He added that the initiative was being implemented under the guidance of Mushtaq Ahmad Allaie, Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer (SDAO), Uri, to promote medicinal and aromatic crop cultivation in the border belt.
Fayyaz Ahmad Mir, another farm official, said nearly 4,000–5,000 lavender and rosemary saplings had been raised through cuttings this year and would be distributed among farmers under the HADP area expansion programme. He said the initiative aimed to develop the border area through aromatic crop cultivation, increase farmers’ incomes and encourage wider cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants. He added that farmers would receive technical guidance on cultivation, harvesting and processing from the Agriculture Department.
Officials said lavender flowers harvested from the farm are processed in the distillation unit to extract essential oil with medicinal and aromatic value. They said the initiative is expected to strengthen rural livelihoods while promoting the productive use of barren land across Uri’s border villages.
