:The ICAR-Sugarcane Breeding Institute (SBI) has found lemongrass to be an effective repellent agent for elephants in sugarcane fields abutting the Western Ghats.The institution, in its outreach programmes for scheduled tribe communities in villages, has been providing beneficiary sugarcane farmers with lemongrass seeds as well, say senior scientists.Cultivation of lemongrass has proved to be effective for farmers in evading elephants in northeastern States. When the elephants raid the sugarcane crops, oil comes out of the lemongrass plants interspersed in the field, and the scent drives them away, according to the scientists.Lemongrass also fetches decent returns for farmers owing to the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, they pointed out.Damage caused by elepants to sugarcane crops is widely prevalent in Mettupalayam, Periyanaickenpalayam and Thondamuthur blocks in Coimbatore district, and in the areas adjoining the Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tiruppur district, and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Erode district.In the Western region, four districts rank among top 10 in the State in sugarcane cultivation: Erode 20,101 hectares accounting for 24.41 lakh metric tonnes production, Namakkal - 11,182 hectares and 14.75 tonnes, Salem - 6,278 hectares and 6.68 tonnes, and Dharmapuri - 4,326 hectares and 5.58 tonnes, as per latest official data. Published - June 23, 2026 08:25 pm IST