Step into the lush, low-waste fields of Jayramnagar in Chhattisgarh’s Bilaspur, and you might catch a whiff of something extraordinary — a natural aroma that’s not just transforming the air but also the lives of farmers.

At the heart of this green revolution is Lokesh Patade, a former electrical consultant who swapped high-pressure boilers for high-value blooms. Today, he’s leading a sustainable farming movement built around geranium, a resilient, pest-resistant plant that offers multiple harvests, minimal inputs, and zero-waste potential.

From distilling essential oil to creating organic air fresheners from byproducts, Lokesh is proving that with the right crop, farming can be both profitable and planet-friendly.

Lokesh’s story isn’t your typical tale of rural roots. Just a few years ago, he was troubleshooting high-tech boilers for a South Korean manufacturer based in India, far from his family and even farther from the world of agriculture. “I wanted to be around for my growing daughter,” Lokesh recalls. “And I wanted to do something that would make a real difference—both for my family and for the environment.”

With encouragement from his wife Priyanka, a plant biotechnologist, Lokesh leaped at 35, investing Rs 80,000 to plant his first acre of geranium. Today, he earns nearly Rs 10 lakhs annually from geranium and vegetable cultivation, with an additional Rs 2 lakhs from value-added products.

Sweet smell of success

Fast forward to today, and Lokesh’s three-acre Meadow Agrotech farm is buzzing with innovation. It became the first to cultivate, harvest, and extract Rose Scented Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) oil in Chhattisgarh State.

Not only has he cracked the code on growing geranium—a crop previously unheard of in Chhattisgarh—but he’s also become India’s first manufacturer of organic, hydrosol-based air fresheners.

© The Better India