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Moringa tree cures man’s money woes
Workers carry basinfuls of moringa leaves after harvest. The leaves are sorted before exposing them to dryers. photos by Edgar r. Batte.
What you need to know:
A moringa oleifera tree takes two years before harvesting begins. The farmer grows and processes the tree, writes Edgar R. Batte.
It has been referred to as the miracle tree. Moringa is rich. Its leaves, for example, are an excellent source of many vitamins and minerals. It is a complete plant protein with all nine essential amino acids.
It has more nutrients per serving than any other plant in its category. The tree flourishes well in Masindi, in western Uganda. According to agronomists, the soils in this particular district and weather patterns are favourable for its growth.
Value addition
Teddy Ruge has 25 acres on which he operates Raintree Farms, a value-added grower and processor of medicinal crops from moringa oleifera. Officially established in 2015, the company is a social enterprise focused on improving the economic livelihoods of the farmers and workers it engages with.
Located in Kikuube Village, Bujenje Sub-county in Masindi, it is also a demonstration farm on which farmers and anyone interested in farming moringa are trained. The company has a network of 125 farmers who grow the tree within a radius of 20 kilometres. There is an assigned inspector who provides extension services to farmers.
Inputs are provided free of charge in form of seeds and training. All farmers receive annual organic certification training. If you would like to grow moringa, Ruge tips that moringa leaves take three months to the first harvest and nine to 12 months for seed production.
“What you need to know as a moringa farmer is that high quality value-addition is where the money is. It is not just plant and make money. Planting is an investment and you have to be vested in its continued growth,” he explains.
Good returns
He adds that it will pay off in the end. He cautions, “If you plant expecting to be rich tomorrow, you’ll end up in ruins. Which is what happened to the moringa market in Uganda in the early 2000s. We can’t achieve our mission of owning the entire value-chain without innovation.”
Process
There is human resource that sorts the moringa then those that wash it before it is taken on by those who manage the drying stage. It is then de-stemmed. It is taken to the UV Air-filtering dryer before it can be milled, packed and shipped.
He says it is about looking at market opportunities that are available to you and focusing on executing with excellence. “You have to be daring to offer the market something they don’t expect. That requires thinking out of the box.”
He further explains, “That desire will automatically require innovative thinking in order for you to pull it off, especially in such a challenging environment such as ours. We’re used to copy and paste market strategies rather than being brave and attempting to differentiate.”
Moringa products packaged and ready for sale.
Innovation
To him innovation is not simply about product, it is also about processes. One of his innovations is how he engages farmers through what is
termed as the ‘Secure Income Program’ (SIP).
“It allows the company to pay farmers on a monthly basis, instead of waiting for when we’re able to harvest. It solves a problem of liquidity with farmers who don’t have financial inputs to commercialise their farms,” he says.
“Moringa is a super crop. It is the super food of the super food family. It is nutritionally dense and has a number of uses which translate into potential value-added products. As a sub-tropical native plant, it’s easy to grow without a lot of input, so this makes it easy for our farmers to manage,” Ruge explains.
Global market
The global moringa market stands at an impressive $10b with plenty of room for growth if well-executed. It should have been the figures that drew in Ruge who is an entrepreneur with a background in communications, technology, and development activism.
His biggest satisfaction about setting up Raintree Farms, in 2015, has been seeing products that they grow and process getting space on pharmacy and supermarket shelves.
The products include moringa powder and moringa oil. The factory has a production capacity of 50 tonnes annually of moringa powder. Ruge’s vision is that by 2025, East Africa will be to moringa oleifera what South Africa’s Stellenbosch region is to fine wine. Uganda especially, will lead the region in setting the standard for how high quality, organic, and socially-responsible moringa oleifera is produced.
“Our goal is to become known as the largest, most- respected producer of moringa oleifera products on the continent,” he says.
Uses of moringa
In the rural areas, moringa oil is extracted by boiling the de-husked seeds. According to experts, other parts of the tree such as the immature green pods or drumsticks are prepared like the green bean while the seeds are removed from the more mature pods and cooked or roasted.
The roots are shredded and used as a condiment with sharp flavour. Leaves can also be used as vegetables or dried and used as spices.
