LEMONGRASS
- AGRICULTURE
News:
Fragrance spreading in
Odisha’s tribal pockets
What's
in the news?
●
Odisha’s
tribal communities, which have faced challenges due to their
reliance on rainfed agriculture and scarce natural resources, have been infused
with new hope.
●
High-value aromatic crops and floriculture
have recently emerged as ways to enrich their livelihood.
Key
takeaways:
●
Aromatic
plantation is gaining acceptance in tribal areas
as their rate of return is higher than traditional agricultural produce;
several aromatic species also repel elephants, preventing crop raids.
Lemongrass:
●
Lemon grass (Cymbopogan flexuosus) is a native aromatic tall sedge (family:
Poaceae) which grows in many parts of tropical and sub-tropical South East Asia
and Africa.
●
In India, it is cultivated along Western Ghats (Maharashtra, Kerala),
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states besides foot-hills of Arunachal Pradesh and
Sikkim.
Production:
●
India
is the largest producer of lemon grass and about 80% of the
produce is being exported.
●
The essential oil is being traditionally exported to West Europe, U.S.A. and Japan.
●
Kerala
is the largest producer in India followed by Karnataka.
Significance:
●
They are in high demand due to fewer regulatory challenges compared to
medicinal crops, offering farmers promising returns with minimal effort.
●
It is known to be an excellent mosquito repellent. It contains a compound citronella
that helps to mask the scents that mosquitoes rely on to target hosts.
●
Lemongrass and its oil are believed to
possess therapeutic properties.
●
It served as effective deterrents against wild elephants in Angul district in
Odisha, causing them to vomit upon consumption.