How profitable is Japanese mint mentha and do I really need my own still?

Japanese mint (mentha arvensis) is grown mainly for menthol-rich mint oil, and it is one of the most established aromatic crops in India, especially across the Uttar Pradesh and adjoining belt, with a relatively developed market for mentha oil and menthol. It is a short-duration crop, often fitting between other crops, and gives oil after the herb is harvested and distilled. Oil recovery is low, typically in the rough range of around 0.4 to 0.8 percent of fresh herb, so income depends on herb tonnage, recovery and the mentha oil price, which is well known for swinging up and down sharply year to year. Because the price is volatile, treat any income figure as only indicative and do not plan around a peak rate you heard about; build your number from a realistic, current price and verify it. On distillation: you do not necessarily need your own still, because in the main mentha belt there are many local distillation units that custom-distil for a fee, and sharing or hiring is usually smarter for a small grower than buying. The freshly cut herb must be distilled soon, so a nearby unit matters. Sort your distillation arrangement and a sense of the current oil price before scaling up.