Aims to promote elephant-unpalatable crops in forest fringe areas
KOCHI, 9 July 2026: The Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ernakulam under the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) has commissioned a 500 kg batch capacity lemongrass distillation unit at Vavely, Kottappady in the district.
Aimed at promoting elephant-compatible farming systems, the facility is part of KVK’s ongoing efforts to introduce elephant-unpalatable aromatic crops as a sustainable livelihood option for farmers living along the forest fringe areas of Ernakulam district.
The initiative is an output of a series of scientific interventions initiated by the KVK over the past three years. The newly commissioned distillation unit completes the value chain by enabling local processing and value addition.
The unit was set up in association with the CSIR–Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP) under the Aroma Mission with support from the Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The facility has been entrusted to the ‘Chembakamithra’, a Scheduled Caste Self Help Group (SHG) from Vavely, which will undertake oil extraction, value addition, and branded marketing.
“KVK has been working to develop a complete entrepreneurship model around lemongrass. Besides facilitating the branded marketing of pure lemongrass essential oil, the KVK has sourced technology from CIMAP to manufacture value-added products such as mosquito repellent spray, herbal floor cleaner and microbial disinfectant using lemongrass oil”, said Dr. Shinoj Subramannian, Principal Scientist and Head of KVK.
The SHG would be imparted training in the production, branding and marketing of these products to improve profitability and ensure the long-term sustainability of the enterprise, he said.
“Lemongrass cultivation is being promoted in areas where farmers are reluctant to raise conventional crops due to recurring elephant raids. As elephants generally avoid lemongrass, the crop offers a practical and economically viable alternative for cultivation in forest-fringe areas. In fact, lemongrass cultivation is not new to Ernakulam district. The crop supported a thriving essential oil industry nearly six to seven decades ago before gradually declining due to changing cropping patterns and the use of crude extraction methods. Because the crop is well known to local farming communities and has a proven history in the district, we are confident that, with improved varieties, scientific cultivation practices, modern distillation technology, and value-added marketing, lemongrass can once again emerge as a profitable and sustainable enterprise for farmers in the district," Dr Shinoj said.
P. Karthick, IFS, Divisional Forest Officer, Malayattoor Forest Division, welcomed the initiative saying that the Forest Department is planning to procure lemongrass oil from the ‘Chembakamithra’ SHG for marketing under the Vanashree brand. “Such initiatives provide livelihood opportunities to forest-fringe communities while encouraging cultivation systems that minimize human-elephant conflict”, he added.
The demonstration plots established by the KVK recorded a yield of 7.5 MT of fresh herbage per acre per year, with an average oil recovery of 0.80%, which is in conformity with the performance reported for the CIMAP-developed 'Krishna' variety under comparable agro-climatic conditions. The oil obtained was of high quality recording a citral content of 80%.
KVK also plans to expand lemongrass cultivation across suitable forest fringe areas of the district by supplying quality planting material, providing technical guidance, organizing farmer training programmes, and extending mechanized harvesting support.