Farmers farm for the love of farming. They love to watch and nurture the growth of plants. They love to live in the presence of animals. They love to work outdoors. They love the weather, maybe even when it is making them miserable. 

The commercial cultivation of mint in India is estimated to cover 3,00,000 hectares of farmlands, 90% of the produce comes from the lowland regions of Uttar Pradesh, while the rest are from parts of Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, and Madhya Pradesh. The total production amounts to nearly 50,000 metric tonnes of Mentha oil annually, 75% of which is exported by the country. Considering that a majority of the raw material originates from one region in the world, enterprises are committing to improving the agricultural practices, to ensure sustainable production of better quality and higher quantity of mint yields.

Several challenges, such as deteriorating soil health, poor quality of agri-inputs, and rising production costs, were affecting the agri-productivity and incomes of mint farmers in India. But in mint industry for this problem there are various projects like The Shubh Mint project, , aimed to boost the production of mint oil by encouraging the adoption of superior agronomic and distillation practices that will enhance the quantity and quality of yields.

The farmers are also provided adequate training on good agricultural practices (GAP) where they can learn better techniques for planting, irrigation, fertiliser application, soil management, water conservation, and intercropping

Mentha Crops have played vital roles in providing prosperity and livelihood to more than 2 million Indian farmers.

It is to be noted that Mentha is a crop largely grown by poor and underprivileged farmers, as unlike Sugarcane, where payment cycle can be if 1 year, Mentha crops are cash crops, which can provide handsome cash to farmers within four months, improving their cash flow and reducing their dependency on greedy Money lenders.

A drive by the fields on the city’s outskirts is a refreshing experience - even in this blazing heat. You are greeted by dark green leaves and exhilarating aroma that remind you of mouthwash, toothpaste, chewing gum, cool hair oils and talcum powders.