SIMBORO, Indonesia — Tucked between the village and the forest, Haruna and his father-in-law worked diligently through the night distilling dried patchouli plants, stoking the boiler with ...

SIMBORO, Indonesia--Tucked between the village and the forest, Haruna and his father-in-law worked diligently through the night distilling dried patchouli plants, stoking the boiler with firewood ...

Patchouli thrives in Indonesia’s tropical climate, which supplies over 80% of the global market. Prices for one kilogram of patchouli oil for farmers can be up to 2.4 million rupiah ($147). A ...

Demand for the patchouli plant’s oils has skyrocketed in recent years, and so too has the number of farmers in the region who now grow and process it. SIMBORO, Indonesia — Tucked between the ...

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With a deep, earthy, musky scent, patchouli oil is derived from the leaves of the Pogostemon cablin plant, a member of the mint family. It’s native to Southeast Asia, mostly in Indonesia. The ...

Workers filter patchouli oil at a refinery in Simboro, West Sulawesi, Indonesia, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara) ...