If you’re interested in starting a patchouli farm, then you’ve come to the right spot. We have compiled an extensive list of everything you need to know about growing patchouli for profit.
Patchouli is a valuable aromatic medicinal plant. It has been commercialized successfully by small farmers. Read this post for details.
I am not sure if it is right to call patchouli a perennial herb. But basically, it is native to the Philippines. The leaves are softly, oppositely, ovate to obliquely oblong-oblanceolate, serrated with hairy margins. The steams are dense-hairy with swollen nodes.
The scientific name of patchouli is Pogostemma cablicum. And it belongs to the Labiatae family. Generally, the plant grows up to 90 to 100cm long. You can harvest the crops two to three times a year.
Patchouli oil comes from the leaves of the plant Pogostemon cablin (patchouli). It grows naturally in tropical climates throughout Asia, Africa, Australia, and parts of North and Central America.
Economic Importance of Patchouli
Patchouli oil can be found in almost any store selling essential oils. In addition to being used in perfumes, it is also widely utilized in aromatherapy.
Aromatherapists believe that patchouli oil helps treat depression, stress, anxiety, insomnia, and other mental health issues. It is also believed to help reduce pain and inflammation and improve circulation.
Indonesia is the largest producer of patchouli oil in the world, producing around 1200 tons per annum, worth between $US100-$US130 million. Other countries produce less than 10 percent of the global supply.
Health Benefits of Patchouli
It’s one of the most important ingredients in the natural perfume market.
Essential oils are very helpful for treating hair fall problems.
It’s an excellent moisturizer for both dry and cracked skin. Therefore, it’s very good at treating these conditions.
As an ingredient used in skin care products, honey is known to help treat skin infections.
Patchouli oil helps fight off infections that cause fevers by easing the inflammation caused by them. Using patchouli oil can thus be helpful in lowering body temperature during a bout of flu.
Essential oils help heal cuts and burns, and they also help fade old scarring. They’re equally effective for treating skin conditions like acne, boils, spots, and measles.
Things To Consider In Commercial Patchouli Farming
First, determine where you want to grow crops.
Depending on the size of the plot, create a detailed business plan. Include costs for production, marketing processes, and expected return on investment (ROI).
You need to decide whether you want to set up an olive press or not. If you don’t, you have to resell the olives you harvest to the other olive press.
You need to identify the potential customer for your product. Also, check the minimum number of people you need to sell your product at a price that makes sense.
Before beginning commercial patchouli farming, you need to take into account these key factors.
Best Varieties for Patchouli Farming
Some of the most common varieties are Johore, Indonesia, and Singapore. Out of these, the Johore yields the highest quality oil while the other two produce lower yields.
In India, you can get a high-yielding strain called Samarth. Central Institute of Medicinally and Aromatically Crops (CIMAC) developed this strain.
Location & Agroclimatic Condition for Patchouli Farming
In general, patchouli oil is used as a fixative, fragrance, and additive in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, detergents, shampoos, and lotions. Its aroma is very pleasant, spicy, woody, sweet, herbaceous, and earthy.
Patchouli is an evergreen shrub that grows quickly in poor, dry, sandy, rocky, or stony soils. It can grow under a wide variety of climatic conditions, including full sun, partial shade, and shade.
Patchouli prefers a sunny location where it receives regular water. It needs a lot of moisture during the growing season. It does not tolerate frost.
If you want to read more about soil testing, then check out our blog post called “Is So
7 Basic Cultivation Steps for Patchouli Farming
1. Propagation
Patchouli is a herbaceous plant native to South East Asia. It can grow wild in tropical forests, swamps, riverbanks, and disturbed areas. In addition to being used medicinally, patchouli oil is also commonly used in perfumes, soaps, lotions, and cosmetics.
Under favorable conditions, around 80 percent of cuttings will root within two months and can then be planted out into the garden. They should be kept in a shady spot until they are large enough to handle. When they are fully grown, they can be transplanted into your garden.
In order to promote the growth of plants, the application of hormones can be used. Hormones are chemical compounds secreted by one part of an organism to control another part of the same organism. These chemicals act by mimicking natural hormones produced by the body.
They are often applied to crops to increase yield and improve quality. Commercial hormonelike substances are also used to speed up the process of root formation and flowering. The application of these hormones is done through drip irrigation systems, sprinkler systems, and foliar sprays.
2. Land Preparation
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Recommended read: Is soil testing important for agriculture?
3. Planting
In general, you can plant the seedlings in the evening in the garden. Usually, the sowing is carried out at 60 × 60 centimeters apart and around 28,500 plants per hectare. However, spacing between 60 × 60 centimeters with a population of 12,000 plants per acre has already been considered in the current model.
4. Irrigation
Irrigate your plants once every three weeks, and do not let them get too dry out. You should also avoid overwatering. For example, if your plants require 1 gallon of water per day, then they would only need about 20 gallons per month.
Under the dripline system of irrigation, you have to provide irrigation by a dripline with nozzles at distances of 45 centimeters (18 inches) apart, discharging at a rate of 2 L / hour. If necessary, you may increase the length of time between watering. You must water for 30 minutes per week during the hot and dry seasons.
5. Manuring
Based on the soil quality, you must decide on the fertilizer dosage. When preparing the land, apply around 12 MT per acre of fertilizers. Apply neem cakes at the rate of 0.4 MT per acre during the seedling stage. Soil analysis is an important part of determining the fertilizer program.
6. Plant Protection
You might see some issues caused by aphids and caterpillars in patchouli. But there are ways to deal with these pests, including using pesticides. To prevent nematode and fusarium wilts, good drainage combined with soil applications of neem cake (0.4 MT/acre) at the point of planting is recommended.
You could also read: Most profitable oilseed farming business ideas
7. Harvesting & Yield
Basically, the crop’s economic lifespan is three years. The first harvest takes place six months after planting when the plants reach one meter in height. It is best to harvest during the dry season.
Conventional irrigation requires 3 cuts of plants per year; however, under the drip system, you can expect 6 cuts of plants per year.
The annual production of rubber tree plantations is around 80 thousand tons per annum. About 10 percent of the total quantity produced is used in the manufacture of latex.
The rest is exported mainly to Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Europe, and America.
There are various government agencies that offer support for growing patchoulis in India.
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