Moringa farmers sitting on a goldmine, waiting for a quantum leap
PKM1, a hybrid variety of Moringa oleifera, has created a global impact, especially in countries such as Senegal, Rwanda and Madagascar in the African continent. Leaves and flowers of this tree provide macronutrients and micronutrients that are believed to combat malnutrition among children in these countries.
But, Tamil Nadu farmers are yet to capitalise on this lucrative business unfolding in the international market, say experts. Before the arrival of PKM1, there were about six native varieties of moringa (murungai). All these varieties were perennial crops, with trees surviving up to 30 years. These varieties were not commercially viable and were propagated by stem cutting.
Horticulture College and Research Institute at Periyakulam in Dindigul district has been given a mandate to develop high-yielding varieties of vegetables, including moringa. In the late 1980s, the PKM1 variety was introduced by the institute. Its Dean J. Rajangam says germplasm study from the existing varieties of moringa helped in the birth of PKM1 variety. Now, it has been raised on 5,000 acres in Dindigul region, says Deputy Director of Horticulture B Gayathri.
The PKM1 variety, propagated through seeds, is an annual crop that gives a yield of 20 tonnes per acre in a year and has been well-accepted by farmers. S. Subbian of K. Pudukottai near Reddiyarchathiram says compared to the native varieties, this variety within begins to give yield within six months and regular pruning helps in sustaining the yield for three years after which the yield declines. With care, some of the trees give a yield of 37 kg of drumsticks. Unlike the native breed, PKM1 grows only to a height of six feet, thus it is easier for plucking. It helps the trees from vagaries of nature. since moringa is a fragile tree, the native varieties grow to a great height and they are easily destroyed in gale and heavy rains.
Though technology has given the farmers this high yielding variety, no steps have been taken to provide value addition or to create a Farmer Producer Organisation in this region. 'There is no government cold storage facility in this region. If we had one, we could keep our produce when the market is dull and sell it when the prices are high,' says Mr. Subbian.
Besides, there are no solar dryers too. If the self-help groups had them, the nutrient-rich leaves could be dried and powdered. No standard procedures for production and pruning of the trees are also in place.
Moreover, the leaves are merely considered a by-product of moringa cultivation. If the farmers need to get a share of the pie in the international market, then it is time markets are identified and steps initiated to bring together the farmers as a collective so that they can process the leaves and export them on their own.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
9 hours ago
- Time of India
Giant African snails invade coffee estates in Somwarpet
1 2 Madikeri: The early arrival of the monsoon this year brought agricultural activities along with significant challenges for farmers. The Somwarpet region's coffee estates are currently experiencing a severe invasion of giant African snails, coinciding with the premature onset of monsoon. The coffee estates in Somwarpet have become a recurring breeding site for giant African snails, which are affecting coffee plants. The annual has invasion prompted growers to request scientific intervention from the Coffee Board. "If the departments do not take action for the permanent control of the giant African snails, there is a possibility of their spreading further in the coming days," said Praveen, a grower in Somwarpet area. He noted that the rapid spread of giant snails throughout the estates has created significant difficulties for growers. "Additional labour has to be deployed to remove the infestation across the coffee estate. There are several traditional methods, including the use of chemical traps, to destroy the snails. But if they infested a large area, addressing their removal requires additional funds and labour," he added. The coffee growers in the Somwarpet region, known for its substantial monsoon rain, struggled with giant African snail invasions for seven to eight years. They requested the Coffee Board to provide subsidies and equipment to combat the snail infestation effectively.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat: Chimpanzee exhibit to open at SoU jungle safari to mark World Rainforest Day
The Statue of Unity Jungle Safari and Zoological Park in Ekta Nagar (formerly Kevadia) in Narmada district is all set to open the chimpanzee exhibit to the public on Sunday — to mark the World Rainforest Day on June 22, said officials familiar with the matter. The exhibit will house a male and two female chimpanzees, who had been in quarantine, following their arrival in India from Capital Zoo Wildlife Park in Abu Dhabi (UAE) in February this year. Officials said that a special enclosure for chimpanzees has been created in the Ekta Nagar to replicate their natural tropical habitat of the African forests. According to officials, the three chimpanzees had been quarantined and kept away from immediate public display to help them acclimate to the Indian climate but surroundings were created to allow them to 'experience a sense of their own habitat'. Officials added that the three chimpanzees had 'adapted very well and were at ease' in their new home, based on which the Statue of Unity authorities decided to bring them out for the public display area in the special enclosure created for chimpanzees.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Chad hopes 'green charcoal' can save vanishing forests
This is an AI-generated image, used for representational purposes only. N'DJAMENA: As they zigzagged from one machine to another in the searing African sun, the workers were covered in black soot. But the charcoal they were making is known as "green", and backers hope it can save impoverished Chad from rampant deforestation. Chad, a vast, landlocked country of 19 million people perched at the crossroads of north and central Africa, is steadily turning to desert. It has lost more than 90 per cent of its forest cover since the 1970s, hit by climate change and overexploitation of trees for household uses such as cooking, officials say. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Scam Exposed: What They Won't Tell You about zero trust! Expertinspector Click Here Undo " Green charcoal " aims to protect what forest is left. Made from discarded plant waste such as millet and sesame stalks or palm fronds, it is meant to save trees from being chopped down for cooking. The product "releases less emissions than traditional charcoal, it doesn't blacken your pots, it has high energy content and lasts up to three times longer than ordinary charcoal," said Ousmane Alhadj Oumarou, technical director of the Raikina Association for Socioeconomic Development (Adser). "Using one kilogramme of green charcoal saves six kilogrammes of wood." The group has installed a production facility in Pont Belile, just north of the capital, N'Djamena. There, workers grind up burnt plant waste, then mix it with gum arabic, which helps it ignite, and clay, which makes it burn more slowly. The resulting black nuggets look like ordinary charcoal. Like the traditional kind, it emits CO2 when it burns, but less, said Souleymane Adam Adey, an ecologist at the University of N'Djamena. And "it contributes to fighting deforestation, by ensuring the trees that aren't cut down continue to capture and store carbon," he said. Refugee pressure The conflict in neighbouring Sudan, which is facing one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world, is adding to pressure on Chad, which has become home to more than 800,000 Sudanese refugees since 2023 -- double the 400,000 it already hosted. "Desertification has progressed in the regions that have been hosting Sudanese refugees for the past two years," said Adser's director, 45-year-old businessman Ismael Hamid. Adser invested 200 million CFA francs (about $350,000) to launch the project, then won backing from the World Bank, which buys the charcoal for 750 CFA francs per kilogramme. The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, distributes the charcoal in refugee camps in eastern Chad. But Hamid said he hoped to expand production and slash prices to 350 to 500 CFA francs per kilo to make "green charcoal" available and affordable nationwide. The plant currently produces seven to nine tonnes per day. "If we want to meet the country's needs, we have to increase our output by at least a factor of 10," said Hamid, calling for subsidies to support the budding sector. Environment Minister Hassan Bakhit Djamous told AFP the government was working on a policy to promote such projects. "We need to bet on green charcoal as an energy source for the future of our country," he said.
