How this Haryana farmer clocks Rs8 lakh per acre with organic moringa farming

When Amarjeet Singh was looking for a plant to make a boundary along his guava and sweet lime (mausambi) orchard in Bhiwani, Haryana, he decided to go for Moringa oleifera. The plant’s leaves and foot-long pods, called drumsticks, are rich in medicinal and nutritional properties.

In 2019, he procured 100 gm seeds of Moringa PKM1, a high-yielding variety known for its rapid growth and early fruit production, from a local farmer. “I sowed over 200 seeds on the boundary of my four-acre farm. I could use the drumsticks at home, feed leaves to our cattle and sell the rest in the market,” Amarjeet tells 30Stades. 

Moringa plants are hardy and can serve as a natural and effective barrier, deterring livestock and protecting crops within the farm. Moreover, they don’t require much maintenance, making them perfect for plantation on boundaries or otherwise, he says.

The plants started flowering in six months, and Amarjeet’s family and cattle used the crop. 

“However, I failed to sell them in the market as I did not have the linkages. To promote sales, I began sharing about moringa leaves and drumsticks on social media,” he says.

From the boundary to the farm

Amarjeet also started drying moringa leaves and shared about the availability of moringa leaf powder. “That created awareness, and people started asking for powder. I soon started getting repeat orders regularly,” he adds.

The next year, in 2020, COVID-19 struck, and there was a rising demand for moringa products.  “I would dry the leaves in shade nets and sell the powder to people who contacted me on WhatsApp,” he says.

Also Read: Odisha’s MBA moringa farmer clocks Rs25 lakh annual turnover; exports to Europe and Gulf

According to a report by Zion Market Research, the global moringa market was valued at 9.5 billion dollars in 2022. India dominates the market and meets over 80 percent of the world's demand.  

“Moringa leaves need to be dried immediately upon harvesting, and the cost of transporting loose dried leaves is high. So making powder or tablets and capsules is a good source of income for farmers apart from selling drumsticks and seeds,” Amarjeet says.

By 2021, the demand for moringa powder had increased so much that he decided to plant moringa on one acre of his farmland.

“By then, I had saved enough seeds for one acre. I sowed over 4,000 seeds (nearly half a kg), and the leaves were ready for harvesting in six months,” the agripreneur says, adding that he keeps a plant-to-plant gap and row-to-row gap of 4 feet each. 

Today, Amarjeet earns a turnover of Rs 8 lakh per acre by selling moringa tablets. A 150-gm pack sells for Rs 450 while a 25-gm pack sells for Rs 650 (both including Rs 50 courier charges). It is sent directly to buyers through India Post.

Also Read: Five moringa entrepreneurs who made it big from small villages

Organic farming of moringa

Since Amarjeet practices organic farming, he does not remove weeds and lets the farm flourish with minimal inputs. He adds only biogas slurry and plant waste compost to the moringa plants.

“The maintenance is minimal. It’s a low-cost crop requiring annual expenses of just Rs 50,000 per acre. After deducting costs, the profit is Rs 7.5 lakh per acre,” he says.

As the word spread, people started asking for moringa tablets as they found swallowing powder cumbersome.

“I first made a dryer at home by investing Rs12,000. I converted an old iron almirah into a dryer using a heater. Then I bought a tablet-making machine for Rs75,000,” he says.

Amarjeet insists that farmers add value to crops through processing to improve profitability.

“It is difficult to sell fresh leaves. When you dry and turn it into a powder or tablet, the price goes up manifold. Value addition is the key to profitability, especially in moringa farming,” he says.

Also Read: Engineer quits MNC for organic moringa farming; makes a profit of Rs6 lakh per acre

Amarjeet uses sprinkler irrigation on his farm. Just before harvesting, he uses it to wash the leaves. “They are washed a second time after harvesting and then dried in the shade. We also use a dryer to completely remove the moisture. Any stalks are removed from leaves before grinding them in a pulveriser to procure the powder,” he says.

Moringa yield and processing 

Amarjeet harvests the leaves thrice a year, unlike farmers in Maharashtra, where leaves can be plucked four times a year due to mild winters. “In the north, winters are severe. So the leaves can be harvested only thrice – in summer, monsoon and before winter,” he says.

From an acre, he harvests 40 tonnes (40,000 kg) of moringa leaves annually. On heating, the volume reduces to one-tenth, yielding 4 tonnes of moringa powder.

“We sell organic moringa tablets directly to buyers," he points out.

Currently, he is not selling through any online marketplace or physical stores. “I am thinking of expanding to online channels soon,” the farmer adds.

While cultivating moringa is easy, the success lies in effective marketing. “Before starting, the farmers must understand the market and find the possible marketing linkages and points of sale. Otherwise, it is tough to find a buyer when the produce is already in hand,” Amarjeet advises.

(US Anu is a Madurai-based writer. She specialises in stories around human interest, environment and art and culture)

Also Read: How this couple clocks Rs8 lakh per acre from organic moringa farming

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