Harnessing Aromatic plants — Green Ahalia @ CIMAP

The CSIR – Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), is a dedicated R & D organisation for promoting medicinal and aromatic plants headquartered at Lucknow with one of the regional centres at Bengaluru. They have brought out several high yielding and high production varieties, agrotechnolgy and market linkage for several species. To know more on the organisation and their works Green Ahalia visited CIMAP on 23rd July 2026 and interacted with scientists there who took us to their demonstration plots and product development labs. During the visit, the team procured a diverse collection of aromatic plant seedlings and seeds, including Lemongrass, Citronella, Rosemary, Geranium, Stevia, Palmarosa, Kalmegh, and Tulsi to enrich Green Ahalia’s living collections. Productive discussions with CIMAP scientists focused on opportunities for collaborative research, farmer capacity-building programmes, aromatic crop promotion, floriculture initiatives, and the development of regional aromatic plant clusters. The outcomes of the visit will contribute to expanding Green Ahalia’s aromatic plant repository while creating new opportunities for community outreach, farmer engagement, and the promotion of sustainable aromatic crop cultivation.