Gujarat's lone lemon grass processor demands lower power tariff

He is, perhaps, the only lemon grass processor of Gujarat. Being the alone in the field he is facing a peculiar problem. And as in many case the root of the matter is 'power.'

Vasant Patel, who grows, processes and extracts oil from lemon Gras at his unit in Anad district, has been at odds with the Gujarat Electricity Board (GEB). The reason - GEB has classified his plant as a industrial unit, while he contends that it is an agro processing unit.

The per unit cost of electricity for industries is more than four times than that of an agriculture based unit.

Patel has installed a distillation plant in his farm. The plant, with a capacity of processing about 12 metric tonne of lemon grass per day, has been installed with the initial investment of Rs 8 lakh. The plant can produce about 9-12 tonne of oil depending on the quality of grass.

"At present, the state electricity board classify the unit as an industrial unit and charges a higher power tariff. The state should give farming status to our unit and charge the regular tariff as the farmers pays in the state," said Vasant Patel.

Gujarat is not among the top producers of lemon grass in the country.

The major producers are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh. Worldwide, lemon grass is a common crop in the tropical regions of South East Asia.

Lemon grass oil is one of the major essential input used in the perfumery and cosmetic industry. Lemon grass oil is used to produce scented soaps, sprays, deodorants, polishes and even medicines. The extracted oil is Citral A and Citral is the starting material for the manufacture of vitamin A.

"We are planning to produce oil with specific qualities like vitamin A to offer to pharmaceutical industry instead of standard oil," said Patel.

We have observed that Charotar area in central Gujarat has suitable climate for lemon grass. The state government should encourage farmers to take up this crop in view of its potential applications in domestic as well as international markets," he added.