Faiza Tehseen

ISLAMABAD, Aug 16, (INP-WealthPK): The large-scale cultivation of the jasmine floral crop on commercial bases and setting up industrial units to extract oil from it can help Pakistan to strengthen the national economy and reduce its financial woes in the long run, WealthPK reports.

Economic and agricultural experts said that the global market of jasmine extracts was likely to grow to $196.2 million at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8 percent by the year 2032. The assessment is made by keeping 2022 as the base year to value the jasmine extract market worth $77.4 million.

Jasmine is used in food flavouring, tea making, cosmetics, perfumery, stress reduction, mood improvement, decreasing food craving, potpourri making and aromatherapy. Its use as antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, anti-depression, anti-cancer, heart disease cure, joint pain reliever and sedative is also common.

Dr Umar Farooq, Director of Rangeland Research Institute of National Agricultural Research Centre (NARC), told WealthPK that Jasminum or jasmine was a genus of shrubs and vines belonging to the olive family. “It contains around 200 species. Common jasmine or jasmine officinale is native to Pakistan and is found from the Indus plains to the western Himalayan foothills in the country. It is Pakistan’s national flower as well. It is found in yellow and white colours,” he added.

Jasmine officinale is a climber mostly used for commercial purposes due to its good flowering ratio and aroma. To get the best yield, it is raised in sandy loam to the maximum of at least four feet and 10 to 15 meters on both sides equally. In wetlands, its production decreases.

“It must be cultivated to improve Pakistan’s economy and provide a sustainable livelihood to the people associated with the agriculture sector,” said Dr Umar Farooq.

Dr Riffat Tahira, Principal Scientific Officer at NARC, said that the high fragrance notes in jasmine were caused by its main chemical components and more than 100 constituents. “They are too low in quantity (about 0.1 to 0.8%) to extract the essence or essential oil through hydro distillation. So, they are pressed in inert oil or tweens of different strengths,” she added.

Flowers are spread on the surface of these waxy oils in multiple layers and pressed. After pressing the mixture of floral buds, a waxy tween is heated at too low a temperature to melt and separate the dried flowers. The remaining oil possesses the fragrance of jasmine buds.

Oil can be extracted from jasmine through this method on a small scale but it cannot be considered the purest. The purest oil can be extracted from jasmine only in a supercritical carbon dioxide extraction unit.

“Such units should be set up by the government through a public-private partnership. It will attract investors. Coordination at the official level for proper awareness about its potential and access to the target market must be made easy to encourage farmers,” said Dr Riffat Tahira.

Dr Adnan Younas at Floriculture and Landscape Institute of Horticultural Sciences in the Faisalabad University of Agriculture told WealthPK that jasmine was a highly profitable floral crop. “Only its essential oil is sold out too costly, at a price of about Rs8 to Rs10 million per kilogram. The reason is that to extract this small amount even, harvesters need to handpick more than 5,000 flowers,” he added.

Dr Iftikhar Ahmad, an associate professor at Floriculture and Landscape Institute of Horticultural Sciences, the Faisalabad University of Agriculture, told WealthPK that Jasmine Samba was heavier than its varieties. Strong fragrance notes and weight make it the market favourite to be used widely. Its flowering output is great at moderate temperature (about 25⁰-35⁰).

Great research and value addition modules of Jasmine have been widely worked in Turkey and Iran. However, no noticeable steps have been taken in Pakistan in this regard. No marginal lands are dedicated in Pakistan to cultivating jasmine. Farmers have little knowledge about its market value, marketing, processing, storage and economic benefits.

The handpicking of flowers requires a high labour cost. Jasmine can’t be kept even in cold storage for more than two days and its volatile oils are lost. The oil extraction from jasmine is also not an easy process. That’s why it is used mostly for ornamentation in Pakistan. Industrial development, mechanisation and official patronage are vital for making the cultivation of jasmine popular in the country.

Fahim Khan, Senior Manager of Tapal Tea (Pvt) Ltd, told WealthPK that his firm imported the finely jasmine-infused tea from China. In Pakistan, people have great awareness about green tea but are less developed for jasmine green tea. The market share of jasmine flavoured tea is only 25 to 30 percent. Tapal introduced the jasmine flavour in the Pakistani market for the first time in 2000, but its demand growth rate remains the same.

Fahim Khan said that no such type of value-added jasmine product was available in the country. It seems difficult due to the lack of technology and proper cultivation of jasmine.

Shumail Nizam, a jasmine grower, said that he cultivated the floral crop on a 5,445 square feet area in Kasur district. About 10 to 15 kilograms of flowers are plucked daily. He sells the flowers in Theeng More, Pattoki, and Thara Garh in the same district at Rs800 per kilogram. Mostly the flowers are used in ornamentation.

“The government should inform and guide farmers about its value addition and access to local and international markets. The floral crop can become a sustainable source of livelihood. Setting up a pure oil extraction plant is too expensive. The government should set up the units to help farmers and generate revenue,” he told WealthPK.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-WealthPK