Moringa is a drought tolerant, medium-sized, evergreen tree that prefers warm, frost-free climates to flourish. Its tender leaves and twigs can be harvested at any time from a well-established, 1.5 to 2 meters tall plant. Taller plants bear cream-white, small size flowers in clusters throughout the season, which subsequently develop into long slender dark-green, three-sided, edible seedpods with tapering ends. Moringa is grown in home gardens in West Bengal and Odisha and as living fences in southern India and Thailand, where it is commonly sold in local markets. In the Philippines and Indonesia, it is commonly grown for its leaves which are used as food. Moringa is also actively cultivated by the World Vegetable Center in Taiwan, a center for vegetable research. In Haiti, it is grown as windbreaks and to help reduce soil erosion.
The bark, sap, roots, leaves, seeds, oil and flowers of moringa are used in traditional medicine in several countries. The thickened root of the plant has been used as horseradish in the past. This practice is now discouraged, as the root contains alkaloids, which can prove fatal on ingestion. The leaves of the plant serve culinary purposes. They are used as the greens in salads and also as pickles for seasoning. The seeds of moringa are used to obtain oil, which can be used to cook a variety of dishes. Drumstick is one of the world’s most useful trees with potential to improve nutrition, boost food security, and foster rural development and support sustainable land care. From leaves and root to pods and seeds, all parts of the drumstick tree are highly edible. India exported moringa powder worth Rs 14.6 crore in 2015, compared to Rs 11.61 crore in 2014. The export of these was worth Rs 2.5 crore in January and February this year. The latest trend in the moringa market is the shift towards organic leaves and usage of solar driers.
The export market has been increasing at the rate of over 30 per cent. Moringa powder have applications in neutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Today Moringa Market is estimated more than US$ 4 billion, which expected to cross US$ 7 billion by 2020 @ 9 percent per annum. Thus, due to demand it is best to invest in this project.
Few Indian major players are as under:
- A V P Marketing & Exports Ltd.
- Arjuna Natural Extracts Ltd.
- Ayurvedic Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
- Ayurvedshri Herbals Ltd.
- Chaitanya Pharmaceuticals Pvt. Ltd.
- Flavex Aromats (India) Pvt. Ltd.
- Ganga Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
- Gayatri Herbals Pvt. Ltd.
- Heal Ayurveda Pharmacy Ltd.
- Hindustan Herbals Ltd.
- Indian Medicines Pharmaceuticals Corp. Ltd.
- Indus Biotech Pvt. Ltd.
- Kerala Ayurveda Ltd.
- Kerala Ayurveda Vaidyasala Ltd.