The Agriculture Department in Jammu, in a significant move, has established a first-of-its-kind lavender farm spread over 40 canals of government land. It is expected to push the lavender sector and the cultivation.
Chief Agriculture Officer, Kathua, Sanjeev Rai, said they have established the first-of-its-kind lavender farm in Jammu province at Challah village in the area of Bani. The farm, spread over 40 kanals of land, is owned by the Department of Agriculture Production and Farmers' Welfare Kathua.
The CAO expressed gratitude to the Director of Agriculture Kashmir for supporting the establishment of the lavender farm with 30,000 lavender saplings (cuttings).
"We have planted the 30,000 cuttings on 30 canals of land. The lavender farm will not only increase the income of local farmers but become a famous tourist attraction," he said. The officer said the government's ownership of a lavender farm aims to increase awareness of lavender cultivation within the local farming community. This initiative serves as a model for an alternative income source, contributing to the upliftment of the regional economy, he said.
The CAO said they often face issues in bringing the lavender saplings, which they often take from Kashmir and Doda.
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