UNDP Yemen: The sweet scent of Arabian Jasmine fuels work and trade in Yemen

Arabian Jasmine, known locally as Ful, carries both fragrance and memory through the hills and markets of Yemen. First introduced in the 1930s by Prince Ahmed Fadhl Al-Qumandan, who brought the flower from India to the gardens of Lahj, jasmine quickly took root in nearby villages and gradually spread to the coast. Nearly a century later, it remains one of Lahj Governorate’s proudest cultural symbols and a vital source of its livelihood.

A daily ritual rooted in tradition

Life with Jasmine begins early. Farmers rise before dawn to water and tend to the bushes, knowing the blossoms will only open in the cool morning hours. As the sun crests over the hills, entire families are already at work, carefully picking the delicate white flowers before the heat of the day begins.

The freshly harvested jasmine is bundled and carried to the wholesale market in Lahj, where competition is fierce. Garland makers, wedding decorators, and incense vendors jostle to secure the day’s best blooms.

“This plant isn’t just a crop,” says local farmer, Bassem. “It is my family’s livelihood. The one who waters benefits, the one who picks benefits… even the one who delivers it to the market benefits.”

Threaded into celebration and identity

Beyond the marketplace, jasmine lives at the center of Yemeni celebrations. “For women,” farmer Mohammed explains, “jasmine is essential at weddings and special occasions, whether it’s woven into garlands, used for decoration, or pressed into oil to perfume the skin.”

Jasmine is not only for special occasions, though. Its scent clings to garments, lingers in homes, and drifts into the city’s streets, mosques, and marketplaces.

An economic backbone for rural families

The jasmine season begins in March and continues for seven months, with production peaking just in time for wedding season. During the high season, a single farmer may sell up to 10 kilograms of flowers a day. The price per kilogram hovers around 2,500 Yemeni rials (approximately US$1.50), but in the winter, scarcity can send that figure soaring to 50,000 rials, nearly $31.

Cultivating jasmine is also labor-intensive. Each hectare requires 15 to 20 workers to harvest the blossoms, offering consistent employment across rural villages. In Lahj alone, approximately 200 hectares are dedicated to jasmine. Most farmers tend to three or four hectares each, supporting families, laborers, and entire local economies.

Too much to sell, too little to keep

Despite its beauty and cultural importance, jasmine farming comes with challenges. “In the summer, there can be so many blossoms that the market cannot take them all,” says Mohammed. “Much of the harvest goes unsold.”

While seasonal oversupply is an issue, farmers also face longer-term environmental pressures. Reduced rainfall and shifting weather patterns have already begun to impact their yields.

“Rainfall has decreased in recent years,” explains Jalal, Chairman of the Lahj Jasmine Farmers’ Cooperative Association. “It damages the land and lowers production. Farmers are under growing pressure, and many are struggling to keep up.”

A new path: Turning blossoms into oil

Recognizing the cultural and economic importance of jasmine, and the need to preserve both, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Emergency Social Protection Enhancement and COVID-19 Response Project (ESPECRP) – supported by the World Bank’s International Development Association and implemented by UNDP in partnership with local partner the Small and Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS) – assisted the cooperative in modernizing production.

The project equipped the association with a solar-powered distillation facility, staffed by six employees, which enabled farmers to process surplus blossoms into high-quality jasmine oil. This oil is now in demand among perfume producers within Yemen and abroad.

“Perfume factories once imported this oil at a high cost,” says Waddah, a SMEPS project consultant. “Now, it’s available locally and is of such high quality that it has created a new line of income for farmers.”

The association also manages the wholesale auction market, employing 15 people to track quantities and facilitate sales.

“Today,” says Jalal, “jasmine is found in most of Yemen’s governorates. It’s even being exported to Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries.”

Nothing goes to waste

Previously, excess blossoms withered away, unsold. Now, they are repurposed. “We take it to the facility, extract oil, and generate extra income that allows us to expand our land,” Mohammed explains.

The ripple effects go beyond the farm. Jobs have been created in transporting, sorting, processing, and selling.

A future waiting to bloom

Jasmine’s future depends not just on rainfall or harvests, but on the collective will to sustain its heritage. With continued support – in the form of climate-resilient farming, better processing, and improved market access – farmers can grow their yields and expand their reach.

“With the support to lower costs and strengthen our association,” says Jalal, “both the cultivated area and production could increase significantly.”

If nurtured with care, jasmine will continue to do what it has always done: bloom in the early light, fill the air with promise, and sustain the hands that tend it, one petal at a time.