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 ready for the bushes to bear drumsticks, Dr Saravanan opts to rapidly harvest its leaves.
For many years, his household had been cultivating moringa for harvesting drumsticks. Nonetheless, the crop was turning into more and more unprofitable and unsustainable owing to low market charges.
“For drumsticks, farmers earn between Rs 100 and Rs 150 per kg. However throughout peak manufacturing, the worth reduces to as little as Rs 5 per kg. I noticed moringa farming was turning into unprofitable for farmers regardless of its dietary advantages,” he shares.
“I learnt that the extreme provide of drumsticks resulted in low market charges, whereas its leaves have been in a lot greater demand within the worldwide market. So, I made a decision to modify to moringa leaves farming,” he provides.
With simply moringa leaves, Dr Saravanan has arrange a worthwhile enterprise by processing them into value-added merchandise akin to moringa podi, leaf soup, and powder.
Promoting at over Rs 800 per kg, the previous soil scientist has efficiently tapped into a world market base within the USA, Canada, Europe, and several other Gulf nations.
From analysis to roots: The beginning of a enterprise
Dr Saravanan has over twenty years of expertise in soil science and agricultural chemistry. This, coupled together with his deep-rooted connection to nature and his household’s farming background, permits him to take care of a thriving enterprise mannequin that resonates with environmental conservation and financial empowerment.
After years of devoted analysis and educational pursuits, Dr Saravanan realised that his true calling lay within the subject, the place he may instantly apply his information and experience to preserve soil well being and promote pure farming strategies.
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 about seven years. The choice was not a simple one. Dr Saravanan’s father initially opposed his selection, however his unwavering dedication and imaginative and prescient for change stored driving him ahead.
Embracing the ideas of zero-budget pure farming, Dr Saravanan devoted himself to selling sustainable agriculture practices that not solely improve soil well being but additionally uplift agriculture earnings.
Returning to his roots in Tamil Nadu, he selected to revive his household’s farming legacy by specializing in cultivating moringa oleifera — a flexible tree identified for its dietary and medicinal properties.
Redefining moringa farming with sustainable practices
Highlighting the distinction between farming strategies for harvesting drumsticks and leaves, Dr Saravanan says, “In drumstick farming, bushes are planted with a wider spacing of 15 toes, whereas in its leaves cultivation, saplings are planted intently collectively. The leaves are minimize when the tree reaches a top of two toes.”
“In case you enable the tree to flower, the diet saved within the leaves shall be used as much as develop the drumsticks. It will lead to lesser-quality leaves. That’s why I harvest the leaves earlier than the flowering section. Additionally, you may harvest leaves as much as six occasions at 50 to 60 day intervals. This ensures year-round manufacturing,” he explains.
Dr Saravanan makes use of no-till cultivation to develop the moringa leaves. He implements natural farming practices utilizing goat manure and farmyard waste. Moreover, he has additionally put in drip irrigation to make sure crops are grown with none wastage. To maximise manufacturing and suppress weed development, he makes use of a brand new method referred to as bundle mulching, the place crop residues, akin to dry leaves are stacked alongside the crop rows to suppress weed development.
“Utilizing typical mulching strategies, I used to be unable to regulate weed development. Its impression hardly lasted for 2 months. In the meantime, the weed began rising once more, so the most important downside for which the mulching is completed was not taken care of,” he says.
“Unintentionally, I had put a one-foot bundle of leaves alongside three rows within the subject. After a while, I discovered it was very efficient in checking weed development. This managed the weed development for six to eight months. Extra importantly, it improved soil high quality by making it extra porous and permitting roots to develop simply,” he provides.
Dr Saravanan says the crop residues additionally decompose and launch vitamins, leading to fewer pest assaults and ailments. “It additionally improves the carbon/nitrogen ratio in soil. So it was an general enchancment,” he informs.
Driving earnings, harvesting happiness
The 54-year-old scientist-turned-farmer has redefined the idea of moringa farming as a harmonious mix of science and nature. By shade-drying moringa leaves, he transforms them into a variety of value-added merchandise, akin to powder, capsules, and soups.
With this, he earns a web revenue of as much as Rs 40,000 each month. “By investing Rs 1 lakh per acre, farmers can fetch as much as Rs 1.25 lakh yearly simply by promoting their leaves. In the event that they enterprise into worth addition, they’ll earn as much as Rs 2.5 lakh to double the earnings,” he says.
By leveraging his experience in soil science and agriculture, Dr Sarvanan has not solely remodeled the fortunes of his household farm however has additionally created a thriving enterprise mannequin that resonates with environmental conservation and financial empowerment.
“I’m very pleased now and at peace inside myself. Initially, I confronted a variety of struggles as I needed to make investments nearly Rs 1 crore in cultivating the farm. However now I get the fruits of my struggles. I went in opposition to my household once I give up my job on the college,” he says, including, “However if you actually do what you’re keen on, you are feeling rewarded on the finish.”
Edited by Arunava Banerjee. All photographs: Dr Kandasami Saravanan.
