Fragrance spreading in Odisha’s tribal pockets 

Odisha's tribal communities gain new hope with introduction of high-value aromatic crops and floriculture to enrich livelihoods.

Odisha’s tribal communities, which have faced challenges due to their reliance on rainfed agriculture and scarce natural resources, have been infused with new hope. High-value aromatic crops and floriculture have recently emerged as ways to enrich their livelihood.

After the fairly successful introduction of aromatic plants in the neighbouring Nabarangpur district, where tribal farmers showed a keen interest in diversifying from their traditional maize crops, the Koraput district administration in southern Odisha has followed suit. With the help of the Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) in Lucknow, it has recently introduced different aromatic plants, including menthol mint (the CIM-Unnati variety), rosemary (Hariyali variety), patchouli (CIM-Samarth), damask roses (Ranisahiba), chamomile, and geraniums (CIM-Bharat).

The favourable climatic conditions and availability of vast stretches of uncropped land offer exciting opportunities for farmers to foray into aromatic plantation, though it is an unfamiliar domain.

The district administration is confident that tribal farmers can adapt to newer high value crops, given that the strawberry, which had never been grown in the region till a few years ago, is now approaching commercial production within years of field trials.

CIMAP, a laboratory controlled by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, had also started a lemongrass plantation in Nabarangpur a couple of years ago, on an experimental basis. Crops and varieties were selected considering their tolerance to high levels of water deficiency stress. At present, lemongrass is grown across 300 acres of land in Nabarangpur. Three improved distillation units have been installed to process lemongrass into oil. Mentha, vetiver, and citronella are also grown in Nabarangpur.

Attracted by the high returns, Techchand Naik — who hails from the Gond tribe in the Raighar area of Nabarangpur — left his job in a leading bank, where he earned more than ₹1 lakh each month, and plunged into lemongrass farming and distillation. Currently, he has planted lemongrass on 35 acres of land, and expects a guaranteed return of ₹1 lakh per acre.

“The more I gain experience in aromatic plantation, the return will grow further. Besides, I am exploring by-products of oil distilled out lemongrass, which will boost the income from aromatic plantation,” said Mr. Naik.