In Somankottai village of Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur district, Dr Kandasami Saravanan has created a lush inexperienced haven of moringa oleifera on 4 acres of land. Departing from typical practices of looking forward to the bushes to undergo drumsticks, Dr Saravanan opts to briefly harvest its leaves.
For many years, his circle of relatives have been cultivating moringa for harvesting drumsticks. On the other hand, the crop used to be changing into increasingly more unprofitable and unsustainable owing to low marketplace charges.
“For drumsticks, farmers earn between Rs 100 and Rs 150 in keeping with kg. However all over height manufacturing, the fee reduces to as little as Rs 5 in keeping with kg. I noticed moringa farming used to be changing into unprofitable for farmers in spite of its dietary advantages,” he stocks.
“I learnt that the over the top provide of drumsticks ended in low marketplace charges, while its leaves had been in a lot upper call for within the global marketplace. So, I made up our minds to modify to moringa leaves farming,” he provides.
With simply moringa leaves, Dr Saravanan has arrange a winning mission by way of processing them into value-added merchandise reminiscent of moringa podi, leaf soup, and powder.
Promoting at over Rs 800 in keeping with kg, the previous soil scientist has effectively tapped into a world marketplace base in america, Canada, Europe, and a number of other Gulf international locations.
From analysis to roots: The beginning of a mission
Dr Saravanan has over twenty years of revel in in soil science and agricultural chemistry. This, coupled together with his deep-rooted connection to nature and his circle of relatives’s farming background, lets in him to take care of a thriving industry type that resonates with environmental conservation and financial empowerment.
After years of devoted analysis and educational interests, Dr Saravanan realised that his true calling lay within the box, the place he may without delay follow his wisdom and experience to preserve soil well being and advertise herbal farming ways.
In 2017, he took the daring step of resigning from his prestigious place on the Tamil Nadu Agriculture College, the place he had labored as a soil scientist for approximately seven years. The verdict used to be now not a very simple one. Dr Saravanan’s father to begin with antagonistic his selection, however his unwavering decision and imaginative and prescient for alternate stored riding him ahead.
Embracing the rules of zero-budget herbal farming, Dr Saravanan devoted himself to selling sustainable agriculture practices that now not simplest fortify soil well being but additionally uplift agriculture source of revenue.
Returning to his roots in Tamil Nadu, he selected to restore his circle of relatives’s farming legacy by way of specializing in cultivating moringa oleifera — a flexible tree recognized for its dietary and medicinal homes.
Redefining moringa farming with sustainable practices
Highlighting the adaptation between farming ways for harvesting drumsticks and leaves, Dr Saravanan says, “In drumstick farming, bushes are planted with a much broader spacing of 15 ft, while in its leaves cultivation, saplings are planted intently in combination. The leaves are lower when the tree reaches a peak of 2 ft.”
“When you permit the tree to flower, the vitamin saved within the leaves can be used as much as develop the drumsticks. This may increasingly lead to lesser-quality leaves. That’s why I harvest the leaves prior to the flowering section. Additionally, you’ll be able to harvest leaves as much as six occasions at 50 to 60 day periods. This guarantees year-round manufacturing,” he explains.
Dr Saravanan makes use of no-till cultivation to develop the moringa leaves. He implements natural farming practices the use of goat manure and farmyard waste. Moreover, he has additionally put in drip irrigation to verify vegetation are grown with none wastage. To maximize manufacturing and suppress weed enlargement, he makes use of a brand new method referred to as package mulching, the place crop residues, reminiscent of dry leaves are stacked alongside the crop rows to suppress weed enlargement.
“The usage of typical mulching strategies, I used to be not able to keep watch over weed enlargement. Its affect hardly ever lasted for 2 months. In the meantime, the weed began rising once more, so the foremost downside for which the mulching is completed used to be now not sorted,” he says.
“By chance, I had put a one-foot package of leaves alongside 3 rows within the box. After a while, I discovered it used to be very efficient in checking weed enlargement. This managed the weed enlargement for 6 to 8 months. Extra importantly, it advanced soil high quality by way of making it extra porous and permitting roots to develop simply,” he provides.
Dr Saravanan says the crop residues additionally decompose and unlock vitamins, leading to fewer pest assaults and illnesses. “It additionally improves the carbon/nitrogen ratio in soil. So it used to be an general development,” he informs.
Using income, harvesting happiness
The 54-year-old scientist-turned-farmer has redefined the concept that of moringa farming as a harmonious mix of science and nature. Through shade-drying moringa leaves, he transforms them into quite a lot of value-added merchandise, reminiscent of powder, pills, and soups.
With this, he earns a web benefit of as much as Rs 40,000 each and every month. “Through making an investment Rs 1 lakh in keeping with acre, farmers can fetch as much as Rs 1.25 lakh once a year simply by promoting their leaves. In the event that they mission into price addition, they are able to earn as much as Rs 2.5 lakh to double the income,” he says.
Through leveraging his experience in soil science and agriculture, Dr Sarvanan has now not simplest reworked the fortunes of his circle of relatives farm however has additionally created a thriving industry type that resonates with environmental conservation and financial empowerment.
“I’m more than pleased now and at peace inside of myself. To begin with, I confronted a large number of struggles as I needed to make investments virtually Rs 1 crore in cultivating the farm. However now I get the end result of my struggles. I went towards my circle of relatives after I hand over my process on the college,” he says, including, “However whilst you truly do what you like, you’re feeling rewarded on the finish.”
Edited by way of Arunava Banerjee. All pictures: Dr Kandasami Saravanan.