Economic analysis of scented geranium cultivation in Northern Karnataka

P. S. POOJA; T. N. SACHINKUMAR; J. S. HIREMATH; M. G. KERUTAGI; K. SUDHEESH; VIJAY MAHANTHESH

P. S. POOJA Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic crops, University of Horticulture Sciences, Bagalkot - 580 104, India
T. N. SACHINKUMAR Department of Social and Allied Sciences, University of Horticulture Sciences, Bagalkot - 580 104, India
J. S. HIREMATH Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic crops, University of Horticulture Sciences, Bagalkot - 580 104, India
M. G. KERUTAGI Department of Social and Allied Sciences, University of Horticulture Sciences, Bagalkot - 580 104, India
K. SUDHEESH Department of Plantation, Spices, Medicinal and Aromatic crops, University of Horticulture Sciences, Bagalkot - 580 104, India
VIJAY MAHANTHESH Department of Agronomy, Kittur Rani Channamma College of Horticulture, Arabhavi-591 218 University of Horticulture Sciences, Bagalkot - 580 104, India

Keywords: Cost of cultivation, Distillation, Essential oil, Return per rupee of expenditure, Scented geranium

Abstract

India possesses an extensive array of aromatic flowers, herbs, oils, spices and woods that play a crucial role in the formulation of globally renowned fragrances. Among these, scented geranium stands out, with its essential oil ranking among the top 20 essential oils worldwide. Nevertheless, given the potential market demand and lucrative price for scented geranium oil, there has been a noticeable surge in geranium cultivation, particularly in Northern Karnataka regions like Belagavi, Bagalkot and Bidar. Despite the increased production in the study area are grappling with various challenges in scented geranium cultivation. To address this, the current study aimed to evaluate the costs and returns associated with cultivating scented geranium in Northern districts of Karnataka. The findings are exclusively based on data collected from a primary survey conducted during the agricultural year 2023-24. This research employed descriptive analysis and tabular presentation for the analysis of the data. The study revealed that total cost of cultivation of scented geranium per year was approximately `1,30,000 per ac. and average total yield per acre was recorded to be 31.46 tonnes leaving the net returns of `22,194 per ac with the return per rupee of expenditure was 1.16.