India, July 29 -- Lavender cultivation is expanding in Jammu and Kashmir as farmers look for crops better suited to warmer winters, erratic rainfall and shrinking irrigation sources.

Scientists say lavender needs little irrigation, grows well on sloping land, resists many pests and can flower for nearly two decades after planting.

CSIR-IIIM says more than 1,200 hectares are now under aromatic crop cultivation in the Union Territory, supported by nurseries, distillation units and training programmes.

The crop is creating new income streams through essential oil, dried flowers, lavender honey, self-help group products and seasonal rural tourism.

In the July heat, workers move through neat rows of lavender at the Council of Scientific an...