Scope of Patchouli Cultivation in Tripura

Patchouli is an aromatic herbaceous perennial plant, belongs to family Labiatae, yielding patchouli oil. Our country is importing annually patchouli oil worth rupees 60 lakhs to meet the internal demand. Indonesia is the largest producer of this oil in the world, accounting for 90 per cent of the world production. Its commercial cultivation is restricted to some pockets of Kerela and Tamil Nadu. Recently, Directorate of Horticultural, Tripura has taken up initiative to popularize the cultivation of this plant. There is a common interest among the farmers to take up the cultivation of patchouli, and moreover, it is performing very well under Tripura conditions. Hence, there is a urgent need to create awareness among the farmers about its cultivation.