Floriculturists urge revival of long-pending scent factory project in Kanniyakumari

Farmers in Kanniyakumari await approval for scent factory project stalled by TNPCB for over seven years.

The long-pending request of the farmers from Kanniyakumari district to establish a scent factory at the Floriculture Research Station (FRS) in Thovalai has remained stalled for over seven years.

While the farmers from the region have consistently urged for the implementation of the project, officials have pointed to the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board’s (TNPCB) nonchalant attitude to issue No Objection Certificate for the implementation of the project, citing various environmental and safety concerns.

Established in 2008, the FRS in Thovalai is the first research station dedicated to flowers in a plain region. The station has been actively engaged in experimenting various projects for the benefit of the floriculturist and individuals involved in utilising the byproduct of the flowers.

Accordingly, the station had undertaken a project under the National Agriculture Development Programme about seven years ago to set up a scent factory on the station premises.

This initiative received robust backing from the farmers, floriculturists from Kanniyakumari and nearby districts, as it promised a regularised income through their floral yields. A steam distillation unit including boiler and other essential equipment was installed at a cost of around ₹25 lakh. However, the project came to halt due to the TNPCB’s non-clearance of NOC.

Despite this setback, farmers have continued to urge the government to shift the project to other suitable locations within the district.

Chenbagasekara Pillai, a farmer from Thuvarangadu, highlighted that the implementation of the project would benefit the floriculturist in the region, where they will be having a stable income.