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

While growing up in Dhamanasar village of Odisha’s Bolangir district, Siddheswar Mishra saw his father Achyutananda Mishra working in the revenue department during the week and on the family farm over the weekends. His father cultivated pointed gourd (parwal) over one acre and planted around 200 moringa trees along the periphery. 

Siddheswar noticed that drumsticks, the long, slender pods of the moringa plant, and pointed gourd yielded Rs 1 lakh each annually. However, growing moringa was more profitable as the plants did not require much maintenance. 

Siddeswar went on to pursue an MBA from Sambalpur University and worked as a manager for Hyderabad-headquartered SK Micro Finance from 2008 to 2011. However, he wanted to work for himself and moringa cultivation was an obvious choice given its high profitability.

Also Read: Scientist turns moringa farmer; exports products to the US, Europe 

His belief was further strengthened when he saw young mothers in his village were given ‘do randa bhata’ (rice that is boiled twice to become very soft), ‘beshara’ (a dish made with mustard paste) and sajana (moringa) powder after childbirth. This helped their recovery and built immunity in both mother and child.

“My research found that young moringa pods are replete with fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It helps increase the milk of a lactating mother.  So I decided to go ahead as it was profitable and a ‘superfood’ for the people,” Siddeswar tells 30Stades. 

Cultivating native moringa variety

Several moringa varieties like ODC-1, ODC-2 and PKM-1 are grown in Odisha, but Siddheswar preferred the ‘desi’ (indigenous) variety available in Bolangir. “It is drought tolerant and its yields contain more nutrition than other varieties,” he says.

Siddheswar collected 50,000 native moringa seeds from across Bolangir and planted them over four acres in 2015. 

“Out of these, 30,000 germinated. I do not use chemical fertilisers and apply only organic inputs. I also keep the fields free of weeds to ensure proper growth of trees,” he says.

He points out that moringa trees can thrive in arid conditions of the drought-prone Bolangir district. “Typically, a tree needs irrigation once a fortnight, but I irrigate whenever necessary. I use only decomposed cow dung as fertilizer. I bought a power weeder for about Rs 1 lakh in 2018-19. Out of this, the horticulture department provided a subsidy of about Rs 40,000,” the agripreneur says.

Moringa processing and sales

Siddheswar harvests moringa leaves about five times a year. “After each harvest, fresh leaves are ready for plucking in 45 to 65 days,” he adds.

The leaves are dried and around 300 kg of moringa powder is made every 45 to 60 days.

He makes ten products—moringa leaf powder, tea, soap, soup powder, laddu, incense sticks, squash, capsules, candy and face pack. The products are sold under the ‘Pramoda’ brand name to more than 3,000 customers inside and outside Odisha.

Also Read: This moringa farmer clocks Rs10 lakh per acre in drought-prone Solapur; exports powder to the US
 
“I have regular buyers from England, France, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Germany. We prepare packages as per customer requirements. My annual turnover is more than Rs25 lakh,” he adds.

In harmony with nature

Siddeswar says pests like budworms, leaf caterpillars, hairy caterpillars, aphids and scale insects can affect moringa between June and July. However, the natural biodiversity of his farm pre-empts any possibility of pest infestation.

His field is a part of about 100 acres of land where a thin forest has developed. This mini forest of small plants and trees is home to wild birds, rabbits and boars. Siddheswar keeps vigil to prevent people from hunting and conserve biodiversity. He also allows wild black ants to build nests in his moringa trees. 

“Wild birds and black ants feed upon the pests. On the other hand, avian and bunny droppings serve as a veritable natural fertilizer for my moringa trees. The urine of rabbits that contain amino acid also serves as a natural fertilizer,” says Siddheswar.

Scientist Dr Govinda Chandra Acharya, head of Bhubaneswar-based Central Horticultural Experiment Station (CHES), says moringa is rich in iron, calcium, protein and other minerals. His organization has been evaluating the nutrients in microgreens under a project since 2016. “We are now assessing the content of different vitamins in moringa,” Dr Acharya says. 

Siddheswar, through his moringa farming, intends to revive the traditional practice of growing moringa trees in his village that has now become extinct. “About 15 years ago, every household in our village had moringa trees. Even a hut had at least one on its premises. I want to revive this green culture by motivating people to grow moringa,” he says. 

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

Expansion and empowering farmers

Now Siddheswar is planning to increase the production of moringa products. He plans to take more land on lease and set up a mechanized unit under the Odisha government’s Mukhya Mantri Krishi Udyog Yojana (MMUY). “I will avail a loan of nearly Rs 50 lakh out of which 40 to 50 percent would be provided by the horticulture department as subsidy,” he says.

His successful endeavour drew the attention of the horticulture department in 2021 and moringa farming was brought into the ambit of the government’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The department also sought the consultancy of self-trained Siddheswar to promote moringa farming in Western Odisha. 

“Inspired by Siddheswar, nearly 2300 farmers have started moringa farming. They include MGNREGA beneficiaries.  Out of them, over 500 have become immensely successful. About 80 households of eKhutulumunda village have successfully undertaken moringa farming,” says Prafulla Kumar Bhanja, the joint director (horticulture), Bhubaneswar. 

Moringa farming received a fillip under MGNREGA during the tenure of Prafulla as deputy director (horticulture) in Bolangir. 

Moringa farming succeeds in temperatures between 28 degrees Celsius and 36 degrees Celsius, and Bolangir’s climate is conducive to moringa farming, says Tirjyak Kumar Das, the assistant horticulture officer in Turekela block of Bolangir.

“I have more than 50 moringa trees in about one acre. They yield more than five quintals of drumsticks during the harvest period between January and March. They fetch me up to Rs 50,000. However, the earning depends on the per kilogram rate that now varies between Rs 50 and Rs 80,” says Bhumisuta Samarath, a woman farmer of Khutulumunda village.

(Niroj Ranjan Misra is a Cuttack-based freelance writer. He writes on rural and tribal life, social issues, art and culture, and sports.)

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

Look up our YouTube Channel