Pulwama, May 29: The Council of Scientific and Industrial Research–Indian Institute of Integrative Medicine (CSIR-IIIM), Jammu will hold a two-day Lavender Festival in Bhaderwah on 1 and 2 June 2025, celebrating the success of India’s growing ‘Purple Revolution’ — a movement propelled by the cultivation of lavender under the CSIR Aroma Mission.
The event aims to spotlight the socio-economic transformation driven by aromatic crop farming, particularly in the hilly districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Speaking to the media ahead of the festival, Dr Zabeer Ahmad, Director of CSIR-IIIM Jammu, noted that Bhaderwah was the first region to pioneer lavender cultivation under the mission. “Lavender cultivation was first introduced in Bhaderwah under the CSIR Aroma Mission. After witnessing its success, we expanded it across different districts of Jammu and Kashmir,” Dr Ahmad said.
He added that the initiative has since gained traction nationwide. “We successfully extended the lavender cultivation programme to several other states. Today, it has evolved into a nationwide movement — the purple revolution. Farmers from Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and even the north-eastern states approached CSIR-IIIM to replicate the model.”
The Lavender Festival will be inaugurated by Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and will feature a series of exhibitions and stalls by agritech start-ups demonstrating innovative technologies and products related to aromatic crop cultivation. A highlight of the event will be technical sessions designed to enable direct engagement between farmers, researchers, start-ups, and industry stakeholders. “We want to create a knowledge-sharing platform where stakeholders can explore opportunities from planting to product development and marketing,” Dr Ahmad said.
The festival will also include live demonstrations of lavender processing — from the production of quality planting material to distillation techniques and value-added products — aimed at educating farmers and entrepreneurs on the full value chain. Dr Ahmad extended an open invitation to farmers, scientists, academicians, industry representatives, students, and members of the media, encouraging them to witness first-hand how lavender farming is improving rural livelihoods and contributing to India’s aromatic industry. The event underscores CSIR-IIIM’s role in fostering innovation-led rural development and marks another milestone in India’s journey towards self-reliance in agri-based enterprises.
