International Journal of Horticulture, 2018, Vol.8, No.3, 16-28
17
utilization to increase woman’s milk production and is sometimes prescribed for anaemia (Estrella
et al.
, 2000;
Siddhuraju and Becker, 2003).
1 Moringa across the Globe
In Mozambique, Moringa trees grow naturally given the country´s suitable land and excellent climatic conditions.
Therefore, Moringa is well-known and mostly consumed as Moringa Leaf Powder. There is a great potential for
small holders to engage in Moringa production, offering them both a crucial nutritional input for their own
families and an income opportunity, by selling surpluses to the market.
Globally, the demand for Moringa products, such as Moringa Leaf Powder and Moringa Oil, has been growing.
Moreover, international organizations and institutions are exploring the best ways on how to use Moringa as a
nutritional supplement and in food fortification. There are several species of Moringa across the world. Its usage
has been well received among the global consumers for its nutritional, medicinal, culinary uses. In this context, it
is important to highlight the species available globally, nutritional status and its services to the mankind. Table 1
described the number of species which are native to different countries and its origin.
Table 1 Different Species of Moringa in the World
Sl. No.
Different Species of Moringa
The Country of Origin
01
Moringa arborea
Kenya
02
Moringa barziana
Somalia
03
Moringa concanensis
Northern India
04
Moringa drouhardii
Madagascar
05
Moringa hildebrandtii
Madagascar
06
Moringa longituba
Ethiopia and Somalia
07
Moringa oleifera
North Western India
08
Moringa ovalifolia
Namibia and Angola
09
Moringa peregrine
Egypt
10
Moringa pygmala
Somalia
11
Moringa rivae
Kenya, Ethiopia
12
Moringa ruspoliana
Ethiopia
13
Moringa stenopetala
Kenya, Ethiopia
Note: Wikipedia.org; August 2017
Table 1 revealed that there are 13 Moringa species across the world. The origin of all the Moringa species is
almost from Indian and African countries. The importance of these species was realized and slowly placed in
different nations for large scale cultivation.
In India,
Moringa oleifera
is widely cultivated for its multiple benefits and varieties are released by the Farm
Universities in Moringa and are occupying the daily meals of the citizens of different nation. In this respect
understanding the nutritional value of Moringa will be an important one so as to develop value added products
from Moringa.
2 Moringa in India
India is the prime producer of Moringa (Drumstick) with an annual production of 2.2 million tonnes of tender
fruits from an area of 43,600 ha leading to the productivity of around 51 tonnes per ha. Among the different states,
Andhra Pradesh leads in both area and production (15,665 ha) followed by Tamil Nadu (13042 ha) and Karnataka
(10,280 ha). In other states, it occupies an area of 4,613 ha. Tamil Nadu is the pioneering state as it has varied
genotypes from diversified geographical areas, as well as introductions from Sri Lanka.
In Tamil Nadu, Moringa was cultivated as sole crop in homesteads, around cattle sheds, on farm boundaries, and
as isolated plants in fences and as groups of trees on village waste lands. In the early 1990s, in Southern Tamil Nadu,
people started growing perennial Moringa types. In Mulanur block of Dharapuram taluk, Moringa is established as
an intercrop on field in a large scale and their allies were cropped with vegetables and Sorghum formed a Moringa
