ITC Expands Cultivation of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants.

ITC's Agri Business Division is ramping up the cultivation of medicinal and aromatic plants to strengthen the conglomerate’s presence in the fast-growing health and wellness market. The initiative, which supports ITC’s ambitions in food, personal care, and nutraceuticals, aims to meet increasing demand for products like Ashwagandha, Tulsi, Kalonji, and turmeric, grown in Madhya Pradesh and southern states.

ITC is collaborating with farmers to diversify crops, helping them cultivate high-value plants to address the growing demand for natural health products. Through this initiative, the company seeks to bridge the market's demand-supply gap, particularly in the nutraceutical sector, which has gained momentum since the pandemic.

"As part of ITC Next, we have shifted our strategic focus to rapidly scaling up our value-added Agri Products (VAAP) portfolio, including medicinal and aromatic plants like Ashwagandha," said S. Ganesh Kumar, CEO of ITC's Agri Business Division. This aligns with the company’s broader ITC NextGen Agriculture vision.

These crops contribute to ITC’s popular food products like Veda Marie Light biscuits under the Sunfest brand, which includes ingredients such as Tulsi, Ashwagandha, and ginger. Additionally, they support personal care items like body washes containing lemongrass and jojoba, along with fortified foods from its ₹9,000 crore Aashirvaad brand.

The company’s Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Extracts (MAPE) program in Madhya Pradesh has helped increase farmer incomes by 25-30%. ITC is also focused on sustainable crop diversification, balancing farmer economics with market demand to mitigate weather-related risks.

To promote this initiative, ITC has set up a 100-acre organic certified experimental and training farm in Sehore, Madhya Pradesh, where 13 medicinal and aromatic plants are studied for standardized farming practices. These include Tulsi, Ashwagandha, Mentha, Licorice, Moringa, and Kalonji, among others.

Currently, ITC’s MAPE program supports the cultivation of these plants across 4,000 acres in Madhya Pradesh, creating a dedicated cluster for organic cultivation and transforming the lives of participating farmers.

HBL