This moringa farmer clocks Rs10 lakh per acre in drought-prone Solapur; exports powder to the US

Mahadev More grew up seeing his father and grandfather cultivating maize, pulses and bajra in the drought-prone Sade village in Solapur district of Maharashtra. It was not very profitable. When Mahadev joined his father in 2009, he continued with traditional farming using chemicals and grew bananas and sugarcane.

“In 2015-16, I experimented with capsicum. But the returns were average. While travelling one day, I saw some farmers growing moringa for drumsticks (not the leaves),” Mahadev tells 30Stades.

From traditional farming to organic moringa cultivation

Moringa or Moringa oleifera plant yields drumsticks - the long, slender pods used in sambhar, curries and other dishes. The leaves, called moringa, are dried and powdered. Both leaves and drumsticks have high nutritional content and medicinal properties, leading to high demand.

Mahadev became interested in moringa as the plant is drought-tolerant. Young seedlings require consistent moisture for root establishment, but mature trees can tolerate periods of drought. 

Moringa farming requires well-drained soil and infrequent watering.“Since I had seen farming for drumstick, I planted moringa over 9.5 acres in 2018 but due to Coronavirus, I could not sell them. I suffered a huge loss,” he says. 

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

“I then decided to shift to moringa leaf farming due to its long shelf life on drying and high demand for moringa products, especially in the overseas market,” he says.

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.  

From drumsticks to moringa leaves

“I planted the ODC3 variety in 2020 to harvest only the leaves. This time, I limited the plantation to 6.5 acres. We harvested the leaves for three years and earned well but I realised that better-yielding moringa varieties were available in the market,” he says.

In 2023, Mahadev replaced ODC3 with Valayapatti moringa, a variety grown in and around Usilampatti and Andipatti in Tamil Nadu, India. “It is known for its high yield of pods (drumsticks) and leaves. Valayapatti moringa is drought-resistant and can produce up to 1000-1200 pods,” he says.

Mahadev says moringa is a low-cost crop and the initial investment per acre is only Rs 20,000. One acre requires just half a kg of seeds, which can be directly put in the soil. The seeds typically cost Rs 4000 per kg.

“I kept a line-to-line gap of 4 feet and a plant-to-plant gap of one foot. An acre can accommodate around 11,000 to 12,000 moringa plants,” he says.

Mahadev says that being a hardy plant, moringa thrives well with cow dung manure, vermicompost, and jeevamrit. “I prepare jeevamrit on the farm and spray it after diluting it with water. Sometimes, I add chicken manure. All these measures naturally keep the soil fertile with high organic carbon content,” he says.

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

The business of moringa powder

The plants grow fast and the first harvest of leaves can be done after 2.5 months. After that, leaves are harvested every two months. 

“With organic farming, each acre gives around 25 tonnes of fresh leaves annually. On drying, the volume is reduced to 20 percent or 5 tonnes of dried leaves,” Mahadev explains.

He says moringa leaves can be dried using a dryer or in the shade. “We dry in shade or a dryer to minimize nutrient loss,” he says.

From 6.5 acres, Mahadev produces 32 tonnes of dry moringa powder annually. It is sold at Rs 80 to Rs 120 per kg in the Indian market and at Rs 150 to Rs 200 per kg for overseas buyers. 

“I sell both leaves and powder to 15 states in India and to the USA and Nepal. My annual turnover is Rs 60 lakh,” he says.

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

For retail buyers, he sells moringa in packs of 250gm, 500 gm and 1 kg. It is packaged in big air-tight drums for export. “We ship to the US market in batches of 2.75 tonnes to 3 tonnes. For the last three years, we have been sending around 500 kg of powder monthly to Nepal,” Mahadev says.

The expenses for labour, irrigation and compost are around Rs 1 lakh per acre. “I spend Rs 6 lakh annually for 6.5 acres, making an annual profit of over Rs50 lakh,” says Mahadev, who trains farmers in moringa cultivation. “I also help farmers market their produce by connecting them with buyers,” he adds.

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

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

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