MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC CROPS (2+1)

Origin and distribution

• Vetiver is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent and is widely distributed in tropical Asia, Africa and Australia. It flourishes on the slopes of the Himalayan Mountains and in many parts of India, Sri Lanka and Malaysia.
  
• It is cultivated extensively in Java, Reunion Island, Indonesia, Haiti, Jamaica, Zaire, Vietnam, Brazil and in the Seychelles Islands. In India it is found growing wild in the forests of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
  
• It is also found in some parts of Assam, Jammu, Bihar, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. However it is systematically cultivated as a crop in Kerala and Karnataka.
  
• It is found in a semi-wild state in the East Godavari and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh and its cultivation is picking up in parts of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.

Area and production

• Vetiver is mainly cultivated in Nilambur and Malapuram districts in Kerala in an estimated area of 100 hectares. There is no data on production of vetiver on commercial basis.