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Scientist quits job to make organic moringa products; annual turnover at Rs 1.75 crore

Dr Kamini Singh quit her government job and now makes organic moringa powder, soaps, oil and other products under the Doctor Moringa brand. It will hit Rs2.5 crore in turnover this fiscal. Kamini works with 1050 farmers to promote moringa farming in UP

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Riya Singh
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Dr Kamini Singh quit her job at CISH, Lucknow, and now sells her products under the Doctor Moringa brand

Dr Kamini Singh quit her job at CISH, Lucknow, and now sells her products under the Doctor Moringa brand

When Dr Kamini Singh was working as a scientist with the Central Institute for Subtropical Horticulture (CISH) in Lucknow, her work involved field-level demonstrations around crops and farming. However, there were many protocols to be followed, making it difficult to take the knowledge from the research lab to the grassroots level.

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“So after working for seven years, I resigned in 2015 to take up research on moringa at my home. At that time, a company offered me the role of a project director, and I began working with them,” Kamini tells 30Stades.

It was a farmer-producer company (FPC), helping farmers save money. “That role brought me in touch with local farmers and decided to work with them so that they could benefit from my research,” says Kamini, a doctorate in horticulture.

harvesting leaves
Dr Kamini Singh (left) with farmers harvesting moringa leaves. Pic: Doctor Moringa
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From pilot project to business

In 2017, she did a pilot with farmers for moringa cultivation. Moringa oleifera is called a wonder tree because its leaves, roots and fruit (drumstick) are rich in vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients. Moringa extract is used as an antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial agent. 

“We chose moringa farming as it does not require chemicals and grows easily in every climate zone without high investments. We asked ten farmers to grow moringa on the boundary of their field on a trial basis,” she says.

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These farmers were earning an income of Rs 30,000 to Rs35,000 per acre at that time. “Their income increased to Rs50,000 by growing moringa only along their boundary. We would buy dry leaves from them at Rs55 per kg. Today, that rate is Rs80 to Rs90 per kg,” says Kamini. 

Also Read: Couple leaves city life for organic moringa farming; clocks turnover of Rs10 lakh per acre

Enthused by the success, Kamini set up her FPC Jaivik Vikas Krishi Sanstha in 2019 to work with farmers and make value-added moringa products like powder, soap, oil, capsules etc. 

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capsule machine
Capsule-making machine. Pic: Doctor Moringa

When she began, the farmers would dry the leaves manually after washing them by hanging the leaf bundles on wires and flowing dry heat. 

Working with farmers

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Kamini now helps farmers shift to organic moringa cultivation, and the FPC puts up a drying facility for leaves. The dry leaves are purchased by the FPC and turned into products. 

“We help farmers to develop a cluster of a minimum of 50 acres. Then we help them set up a solar drying facility, which costs between Rs5 lakh and Rs10 lakh,” she says. The farmer members bring their fresh leaves to the facility, where they are dried and processed.

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

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Smaller farmers who collectively own 5 to 10 acres can install manual drying systems using exhaust and blow dryers. It costs between Rs50,000 and Rs80,000. 

“A farmer with only 1 bigha (0.25 acres) can also earn well from moringa leaves, which are harvested every 45 to 60 days,” she points out. Currently, the FPC works only with farmers in and around Lucknow.

Initially, when the scale was small, transporting leaves to others for processing was unprofitable. “So we thought of setting up a processing facility in my house. I took a loan and purchased some basic machines like a sifter, grader and a pulverizer, investing Rs7.5 lakh in machines,” she says.

drying machine
A worker puts a tray of leaves in a drying machine. Pic: Doctor Moringa 

Alongside, Kamini and her husband also took seven acres of land on lease and began moringa farming by intercropping with lemongrass. “You can intercrop any vegetable or herbs with moringa,” she says. 

Expansion of the moringa product range

Kamini began with only moringa powder, selling it in a pouch packing through a canopy stall in nearby markets. People would buy on a trial basis and return for more. At that time, she heard about the RKVY-RAFTAAR Agri-Business Incubator (R-ABI) at IIT (BHU), which mentors and supports young agripreneurs

“I applied there for a project on moringa and it was sanctioned. I received a grant of Rs25 lakh, which I used for expansion of business in 2020,” Kamini says. 

She invested the grant to buy an oil extraction machine, and capsule filling machine and moved from moringa powder to tea, soaps, capsules, oil and other products. 

“I also invested in branding and marketing and Doctor Moringa was born,” she says.

Also Read: MBA woman farmer turns barren land into organic vegetable farm; clocks Rs25 lakh turnover

At that time, she did not have a full-fledged lab. “I submitted a project to the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and was allowed to research on moringa as a woman scientist. As a result, I could get my products certified,” she says.

Some products
Some products from Doctor Moringa

Apart from access to the lab and a stipend, she also received seeds and plants for free distribution to farmers.  “With that research, we expanded to moringa cookies, chocolates, serum, hair oil, pain reliever oil and many variants of soaps,” she says.

Doctor Moringa brand currently has 22 products in its portfolio. It sells the products on Amazon, Flipkart, Meesho, and social media apart from retail outlets. 

“We are present in 14 retail stores in Lucknow and have our outlets in Badshah Nagar Railway Station and near Madiyaon (both in Lucknow),” she adds.

“Today, we work with 1050 farmers in Uttar Pradesh. Of these, 50 are exclusive moringa farmers with large landholdings (upwards of 50 bigha). The rest are smaller moringa growers and also farmers cultivating chamomile, tulsi, lemongrass, stevia, giloy and other medicinal plants, which are used as inputs in our products,” she says.

Kamini also works with a cluster of 50 to 100 farmers who intercop mango with turmeric. “We hope to end FY25 with Rs2.5 crore in turnover and more farmers associated with our brand,” she adds.

(Riya Singh is a Ranchi-based journalist who writes on environment, farming, sustainability, startups, & women empowerment)

Also Read: 65-year-old woman turns barren land into organic farm of medicinal plants; clocks Rs50 lakh turnover

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