Karnataka farmer converts barren land into moringa farm; annual turnover at Rs 40 lakh

After losing his father at an early age, S Umesh Rao began farming on his ancestral land near Bengaluru to support the family. He cultivated sugarcane, maize, ragi, seasonal vegetables and other crops over eight acres.

“In 2010, I sowed seeds of the Moringa oleifera plant, which yields drumsticks. There were just about 900 plants, which I cultivated for selling drumsticks, while the rest of the land was used for other crops,” Umesh tells 30Stades.

While drumsticks are used in sambhar and curries, the leaves are dried and powdered. Both leaves and drumsticks have high nutritional content and medicinal properties. “But back then, moringa powder was not very popular. So I focused on drumsticks only,” he says.

It was in 2020 when COVID hit that the demand for moringa powder and capsules hit a new high. That’s when Umesh discontinued all other crops and turned eight acres into an organic moringa farm.

The global moringa market was valued at 9.5 billion dollars in 2022, as per Zion Market Research. India dominates the market and meets more than 80 percent of the global demand.  

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

On to the barren land

Following a family dispute, Umesh had to stop cultivation on the ancestral land and look elsewhere for farming. “With no other option, I leased a plot in Gauribidanur in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. It was a barren land where no crop had ever been grown. I took it on a lease of ten years in 2024 and started organic moringa farming again,” he says.

Converting the rocky land into a lush, green organic farm was not easy. However, with years of experience behind him, Umesh knew how to start. “I began with just two acres. To improve soil fertility and make it cultivable, I purchased truckloads of red soil and evened out the land,” he says. 

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

The next task was to improve the soil’s carbon content.

“I mixed chicken manure, goat manure and cow dung manure and added it to the soil as they are all rich in organic matter,” he says.

The combination increases soil fertility, water retention, and helps mitigate climate change by sequestering carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 

High-density moringa plantation

Umesh opted for high-density plantation, where plants are at a short distance from each other. “It maximises land use, increases crop yields per unit area, and shortens the time to the first harvest,” he says. 

He planted seeds of the ODC-3 variety at a plant-to-plant gap of 1.5 ft X 1.5 ft and rows at a 2 ft distance. As moringa leaves are harvested every three to four months, the plants can have lesser gap between them. Since Umesh practices organic farming, he also uses biofertilizers like Trichoderma, which promote plant growth by improving nutrient uptake and enhancing root development. “I apply farmyard manure and neem oil as well,” he adds.

For a high-density plantation, Umesh has more than 10,000 plants per acre. ODC-3 is suitable for high-density planting as it grows as a medium to dwarf-sized shrub.

Its smaller size allows for closer spacing compared to other varieties that grow much taller, he says.

ODC-3 starts flowering within three to four months and is ready for its first harvest in six months. “This early maturity enables a quicker return on investment and a sustained income from harvests over several years,” Umesh says.

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

Yields and revenues

Annually, he harvests 10 tonnes of fresh leaves per acre, which yield around 2.5 to 3 tonnes of dry leaves. “I sell them at an average of Rs140 per kg, though the rate can go up to Rs500 per kg in case of higher demand,” he says. This results in a per-acre turnover of Rs 4 lakh, says Umesh, who is still converting parts of the ten-acre barren land into a moringa farm.

He also sells drumsticks and prepares seeds for sale. His annual turnover is Rs 40 lakh. 

“We sell dried leaves without powdering them. I sell them to extractors, pharma companies, nutraceutical companies, and fertiliser companies,” he adds.

The leaves are dried naturally under shade nets and can be used to make various moringa products. “Shade drying preserves nutrients and antioxidants better than direct sunlight and extends shelf life. This method helps maintain chlorophyll and prevents the degradation of heat-sensitive vitamins like vitamin C and other compounds that can be lost during sun drying,” Umesh says.

(Rashmi Pratap is a Mumbai-based journalist specialising in financial, business and socio-economic reporting) 

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