Bhaderwah | About 2,500 farmers in the hilly Bhaderwah town of Jammu and Kashmir have given up their age-old tradition of growing maize to embrace the profitable lavender farming.

Union minister Jitendra Singh said Bhaderwah has created history by bringing purple revolution in the country by adopting the plantation of this aromatic flower.

According to these farmers of Doda district, who are growing lavender under the Union government's Aroma Mission, the unconventional farming of aromatic plants has helped them become 'atmanirbhar'.

Lavender was introduced to the temperate regions of the Jammu division by the Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (IIIM) under the CSIR-Aroma Mission in 2018. The institute initially tried to popularise it in Doda, Kishtwar, and Rajouri districts.

Finding suitable cold climate and favourable growing conditions, a couple of small and marginal farmers of Bhaderwah region took the risk and switched to lavender cultivation in 2017. Until then farming of maize crops was the only agricultural practice for them.

Sensing the scope of increasing their income, the farmers joined the initiative under CSIR-Aroma Mission in a big way and within five years, 2,500 farmers started cultivating lavender in their fields at several villages, including Tipri, Lehrote, Killar, Koundla, Himote, Sartingal, Butla, Nalthi and Nakshari.

Singh, the minister of state in the prime minister's office, said, "I feel very proud as the name of Bhaerwah got recognition in the history of our country due to the success of lavender cultivation.

"When we started the initiative, people were in fear of losses due to unawareness of lavender crop and its market, but we (government) took several initiative to make people aware, resulting thousands of people especially young generation switching from traditional crop to lavender and increase their income and become inspiration for other parts of the country," the minister told PTI.

Singh, who represents Udhampur parliamentary constituency which also covers Doda, said things have changed for the good as new generation and entrepreneurs are happily working in lavender fields, which not only provide them an opportunity to increase their income by manifold but they are also generating employment for others.

The "purple revolution" has also helped women empowerment in a big way.

"After harvesting season of maize and paddy crop in October, we used to remain without work for five months during winters, but lavender farming has given us a new lease of life and we get round the year work in lavender fields," said Beena Devi (32) of village Dalain, Bhaderwah.

Devi said she and 50 other women of her village have become experts in developing lavender nurseries. PTI