Lavender changes fortunes of this Bhaderwah farmer

Ranjit Thakur

Doda, August 5

A Bhaderwah farmer, Bharat Bhushan (41), has come a long way to become an inspiration for many. This Class X passout is known for changing the face of farming. He has transitioned from traditional crops such as maize to lavender farming that gives him better dividends.

Bhushan started lavender cultivation on a small scale at his native Leirote village of Bhaderwah in 2010. Today, he owns a company which manufactures aromatic products. His success story and style of farming does not only follow the usual rags-to-riches plot but he has also modernised farming. He has not only changed his fortunes by taking to lavender cultivation, but of many others as well.

Speaking to The Tribune, Bhushan said: “I followed the same traditional methods of farming as my forefathers. Due to the limited scope of irrigation in the Kandi belts, we were not able to switch over to other crops which could bring us more profit.”

“In 2010, I got in touch with the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu. Officials at the institute motivated me to cultivate new crops. They provided me lavender saplings and each sapling cost me Rs 5. I was a little hesitant at first but the results turned out to be fruitful,” Bhushan said.

This Bhaderwah farmer now has a nursery with 1.5 lakh lavender plants. Farmers come to him to buy lavender saplings so that they can follow in his footsteps.

Bhushan has also installed machinery to extract oil from lavender flowers and manufacture aromatic products.

“Earlier, we had to depend on the IIIM, Jammu, for oil extraction. Many times, the machines would not reach us on time and sometimes the flowers would decay as well. As other farmers were also dependent on me, I decided to buy my own machine so that I could provide assistance to them,” he said.

He said while interacting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, he felt a sense of accomplishment and was more determined to expand his area of work.

“The lavender oil we produce is directly sold in Delhi and Mumbai. A kilogram of oil gives us around Rs 8,000 to 10,000. We produce 60 kg of lavender oil per year. It’s a vast industry and the demand for aromatic oils is high,” he added.

Apart from being a farmer, Bhushan has also become an employer. He has employed 15 locals from his village and is further planning to grow his business.

Floriculture Officer, Doda, Arjun Singh Parihar said: “There are 20 species of lavender and farmers of Doda are producing one of the finest qualities of aroma compared to Kashmir. Last year, 75 kg of lavender oil was extracted by the Doda farmers.”

“To promote lavender farming, the government is providing subsidy to farmers. We have registered more than 100 farmers and have been conducting regular camps to motivate them to switch over to lavender farming to earn a good profit,” Parihar added.