MORINGA

Apart from Tamil Nadu, Moringa products are sold in many states of India. Value-added moringa products are being used as medicinal products abroad.

Tamilnadu drumstick always has a special place in the list of vegetables of southern states. Many types of dishes are prepared with drumstick like sambar, tamarind, kuruma, fries, joint, avial, soup. As it is full of medicinal properties including nutrients and iron, just like there is no CSK without Dhoni, there is no vegetarian dinner without drumstick.

Drumstick is a somewhat drought tolerant plant. Also, the water requirement is less. That is why vegetable farmers are also cultivating drumsticks. There are two types of drumsticks, native drumsticks and plant drumsticks.

In this, drumstick has more medicinal properties and taste. The lifespan of native drumstick is maximum 50 years. Native drumstick seedlings are also propagated by budhu (seed sticks).

Cylindrical pods are somewhat firm but slightly squishy. Cylindrical has a maximum lifespan of 2 years. Cedum is propagated by seed.

If planted and properly cared for, the root will go down well into the earth within a month. After that, it grows drought tolerant. If properly guarded, it can yield almost 50 years. Even if it comes to fruition in 6 months after planting, it will take more than a year and a half to get a good yield. Fruits are produced three times a year. Moringa is an inexpensive and low-maintenance crop. For this, using natural fertilizers rather than chemical fertilizers will give long-term benefits.

Its leaves, bark, pods and seeds can all be sold. Since everything has medicinal properties, there are customers who come and buy it. That's why Tamil Nadu Moringa is well received abroad.

A year and a half after planting, a well-maintained tree yields an average of 200 kg of fruit per year. A kg of fruit costs between 10 rupees and 150 rupees. It is sold at a higher price on Mugurtha days. Generally January and February are somewhat better prices. Even assuming a minimum price of Rs 10 per kg, 200 kg will generate an income of Rs 2000. According to that calculation, 160 trees in one acre will generate an income of 3 lakh 20 thousand rupees per year. 50,000 rupees as expenses, but 2,70,000 rupees will stand as profit.

Method of Planting:

Moringa can be grown in all soil types except clay and saline soils. The land should be well plowed and long ditches should be made at 16 feet intervals. At 16 feet intervals, pits should be dug to a depth of one and a half feet in the center of the drains. According to this, there will be a distance of 16 feet from plant to plant and 16 feet from row to row. Put three handfuls of compost, one handful of neem paste and one handful of vermicompost in each pit... Plant and water the sweet drumstick seedlings.

Water regularly on the next 3rd and 5th day. Watering once a week is sufficient. On the 20th day, each plant should be irrigated with 200 grams of seaweed. At 40 and 70 days new young branches should be guarded. By doing this, side branches will grow more.

After 120 days depending on the growth of the plant should be done for the third time. Fruiting starts from 6th month. Fruiting occurs three times a year. Each pod lasts only 40 days. Before harvesting the fruit, 200 grams of seaweed should be applied to each tree. Similarly, after the harvest, 30 kg of manure should be applied to each tree. Only if this is done properly will you get a quality yield. Apart from this, no other maintenance is required.

Seedling preparation:

Mix coir waste with a little panchagavya and azospirillum and soak it for an hour and squeeze it as if it is 40% moisture (must be wet. No water drips when squeezed. This is enriched coir waste).

As soon as the Moringa tree flowers, the bark should be removed at a place on the stick about the size of the thumb. At that place, put the nourished coconut coir waste and tie it tightly like a wound bandage with plastic paper.

After 40 days, new roots will have formed in that area. Then, the stick can be cut, placed in plastic bags filled with enriched vermicompost, watered and grown for 60 days and planted in the ground.

Profits of Moringa:

A total of 100,000 seedlings per year can be produced from whole Moringa trees. But only 70,000 seedlings will be picked. A seedling is sold at Rs 30 to Rs 35. Even if the minimum price is 30 rupees, if you sell 70,000 seedlings, you will get 21 lakh rupees. Even if 7 lakh rupees are spent, 14 lakh rupees will be profit.

There is no need to worry if the price of drumsticks is not available throughout the year. If left unharvested, the pods will die. The seeds can be extracted from it. An acre yields 240 kg of seed per year. A kg of seed is sold for Rs. Almost the income from pod sales is also generated from seeds.

Moringa leaves (spinach) and pods that grow in nature are well received. Especially the leaf is more demanding than the fruit. Picking leaves will reduce fruit yield. Therefore, farmers do not focus on selling leaves. For those who want to cultivate for leaves, they can plant in dense planting system at 5 feet spacing. Leaves can be harvested and sold once every 40 days.

Pest Management:

If holes are seen in moringa leaves (spinach) it means worm infestation. This worm is invisible. If this symptom is noticed, you can control the worms by spraying the leaves with an herbal insecticide. Sometimes there is caterpillar infestation. Control can be done by spraying neem oil solution or stove ash. If Panchakavya solution is sprayed every time before flowering, no disease will attack. In nature, most of the time insects and diseases do not occur.

Moringa Value Addition Items:

Moringa has an important place in value addition. In Tamil Nadu Moringa is taken as a raw food. So drumstick value addition is definitely for foreigners. The foreign market opportunity is more than the domestic market opportunity for our country's drumstick. Most of us are familiar with drumsticks being powdered and sold. However, the market for drumsticks is large enough internationally that even the pods are sold separately.

Through value addition, everything from moringa bark, leaves and seeds can be sold. Starting with Moringa Powder, Moringa Tea Mix, Moringa Strawberry Mix, Moringa Peppermint, Moringa Bark Oil, Seed Oil, Leaf Oil, Moringa Pulse, Moringa Punnaku, Moringa Shampoo, Moringa Soap, Moringa Face Brightening Paste, Moringa Soup Mix and many more products are added value. Can be prepared.

Apart from Tamil Nadu, Moringa products are sold in many states of India. These are being used as medicinal products in foreign countries. In most countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, drumstick is used in daily food. Moringa seeds are widely consumed in Japan.