The Bhaderwah area in the mountainous Doda district of Jammu and Kashmir is emerging as a heart of the ‘purple revolution’ redefining the region’s agricultural and economic landscape.
The revolution started with just 10 kanals, which is a little over 6,000 sq yards, in 2010. Now over 10,000 kanals is under lavender cultivation with 7,200 kanals covered in last three years as farmers have started to give up traditional farming of maize and other grains. Lavender has come up as a profitable and sustainable alternative.
The Purple Revolution is expanding beyond the Union Territory now, to the neighbouring states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Meghalaya. Growers from Bhaderwah supply high-quality lavender seedlings to CSIR-Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM), Jammu, which then distributes them free of cost to cultivators in Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, and Meghalaya.
Among the pioneers of this transformation is Bharat Bhushan, one of the first farmers to switch from traditional maize cultivation to lavender farming in Bhaderwah in 2010. “I started with two kanals of land in 2010. I earned four times more profit from lavender farming compared to traditional maize cultivation. Gradually, I converted my entire 10-kanal farm into lavender cultivation,” he said. “Now, I have taken around 60 kanals of land on lease for lavender farming.”
Lavender thrives in temperate climates and is drought-resistant and low maintenance. According to CSIR-IIIM Jammu Director Zabeer Ahmed, lavender farming requires a snow-bound temperate climate with ample sunshine.
A single lavender plant bears flowers for up to 15 years, requires minimal maintenance, and can be harvested from the second year onward. The extracted oil is widely used in soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, and medicinal products.
Until 2016, only 10–16 farmers in Bhaderwah were engaged in lavender cultivation. The turning point came after Bharat Bhushan’s video conference with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2016. “He asked why lavender farming had not picked up. I explained that farmers had to purchase planting material, and poor farmers could not afford it. The Prime Minister assured that the government was committed to doubling farmers’ income and would provide lavender planting material free of cost,” Bhushan recalled.
The launch of CSIR-Aroma Mission in 2017 gave a significant boost to lavender farming in the valley. Under this initiative, CSIR-IIIM Jammu began distributing lavender plants free of cost, encouraging farmers to transition from traditional crops such as maize and paddy to more profitable and sustainable lavender cultivation. Bhushan was awarded the Innovative Farmer Award in 2020 by the Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) for his pioneering efforts.
“It is more profitable and requires less maintenance,” another farmer noted. In the past three years, CSIR-IIIM Jammu has distributed over 39 lakh quality planting materials free of cost to farmers across Jammu & Kashmir and other states. In February alone, nearly six lakh quality planting material seedlings were distributed among 750 farmers in Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand.As demand for lavender cultivation increased, farmers began setting up nurseries. Bhushan converted 10 kanals of his land into a nursery and now sells saplings to CSIR-IIIM and directly to farmers.
CSIR-IIIM pays between Rs 2.33 and Rs 5 per sapling. These saplings are then distributed free of cost to interested farmers under the Aroma Mission.
From late May to the end of June, Bhaderwah transforms into a blanket of violet as lavender fields bloom in glory drawing visitors from all around the globe. What began as a small experiment by a handful of farmers has now become a model of rural transformation.