Nabarangpur experiment helps farmers ‘mint’ money

UMERKOTE: When 10 acres of land of Ajit Nayak from Duduriguda village, Ratnakar Mali from Churahandi village and Paresnath Bisoi of Tentulikhunti in Nabarangpur district were chosen for a first of its kind experiment in mint cultivation, it raised hopes among the other farmers to earn good even during the lean period between Rabi and Kharif cultivation.

Now as reaping has begun, the two Japanese varieties - Kosi and Kranti - sown in January on a pilot basis, have so far yielded 30 tonne, 80 pc has been sold.

Promising to pay back Rs 50,000 for Rs 15000 spent per acre of land, Lucknow-based Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), a frontier plant research laboratory of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), has lent technical support and training to the farmers with the involvement of district administration.

Two tank based boiler systems have been set up at Duduriguda by district administration for mint oil extraction and other value addition purposes that can augment farmers’ income.

The unit has so far yielded 58 litre of mint oil of which 37 litre has been sold to pharmaceutical plants by the district administration at Rs 1,500 a litre. 

While mint leaf is high in demand in the markets, its oil is used for medicinal purposes across the globe. Grown between January and June in the lean period of paddy and maize, the aromatic plant can be grown with moderate amount of water in interval of 8-12 days.  

Normally, it produces 3 tonne of fresh biomass per acre which is expected to produce 45-55 litre of oil per acre. The price of oil from biomass fetches Rs 1,300-Rs 1,500 per litre. Experts say, retail selling of biomass will fetch greater profits as well.

Collector Ajit Kumar Mishra said the processing plant was installed as mint oil has a huge demand in the international market and will boost the profit margin.

“This is the first of its kind agro experiment in the district as well as the State. Now as many as 123 farmers have signed up for mint cultivation in Nabarangpur,” he said.