Lucknow: CSIR-Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP) successfully concluded a six-day skill upgradation training workshop on Essential Oil Processing Technologies (EOPT-2026) for farmers and entrepreneurs. The programme was held from February 9 to 14, 2026, at the institute’s campus in Lucknow.
A total of 28 participants, including eight women representing more than 12 states across India, took part in the intensive training programme aimed at enhancing technical expertise in essential oil processing and value addition.
Addressing the valedictory session, Director of CSIR-CIMAP, Dr. Zabeer Ahmed, underscored the importance of such capacity-building initiatives. He emphasized the growing domestic and global market potential of essential oils and highlighted the need to develop advanced skills and technical proficiency in essential oil processing and value-added technologies to strengthen India’s position in the international market.
The training programme was coordinated by Dr. Sudip Tandon, who explained that the workshop was specifically designed to provide systematic knowledge of processing technologies related to aromatic crops. Participants were familiarized with both the technical and practical aspects of essential oil production. Special emphasis was placed on quality analysis procedures, given that export markets demand consistently high-quality products.
The hands-on training covered key aspects such as distillation techniques, menthol crystallization, value addition, and fractionation of essential oils, along with other critical quality parameters. The programme aimed to equip farmers and entrepreneurs with the expertise needed to enhance productivity, improve product quality, and increase profitability in the aromatic plant sector.
During the closing session, senior scientists including Dr. Laeeq-ur-Rahman, Dr. A.S. Negi, Project Leader of the CSIR Skill India Mission, Dr. Ram Swaroop Verma, Head of Phytochemistry, Dr. Sanjay Kumar, Dr. Ramesh Srivastava, and Dr. Atul Gupta interacted with participants and encouraged them to adopt scientific processing methods to meet global standards.
The initiative reflects CSIR-CIMAP’s continued commitment to empowering farmers and entrepreneurs through scientific innovation, skill development, and technology transfer in the medicinal and aromatic plant sector.
