International Journal of Horticulture, 2018, Vol.8, No.3, 16-28
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based intercropping system. This Moringa based cropping system was evolved as a protection to alley crops from
drying winds during summer and Moringa also provided some additional income. With the migration of people
from South to North India, and elsewhere in the world, the Moringa cultivation and the demand for Moringa has
picked up.
Farmers found that growing Moringa crops during summer season was remunerative. Thus, Moringa gained a
foothold as a summer vegetable. Its unique flavour and aroma became very popular. For South Indian any meal
without Moringa and pulses is considered as incomplete. The demand for the Moringa pod also increased due to
increased urban settlements and migration of people to urban colonies. Based on the significance of Moringa in
the human diet, a research study might be more viable focusing marketing, value addition and export practices of
Moringa in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu is one of the largest producers of Moringa with an annual production of 6.71 lakh tonnes of tender
fruits from an area of 13042 ha. Among the districts, Theni leads in both area and production (3424 ha) followed
by Dindigul (2645 ha), Karur (2070 ha), Thoothukkudi (1465 ha), Tiruppur (1191 ha), Ariyalur (813 ha) and
Madurai (536 ha). These details are analyzed and presented in Table 2.
Table 2 revealed that the area under Moringa is skewed to certain districts because of the good soil conditions and
becomes good revenue earner among the rural households and hence Moringa cultivation in these districts
becomes popular one.
In Tiruppur District, the Mulanur Block had the highest area under Moringa next to Sathankulam of
Thoothukkudi District. Sathankulam had become the hub of Moringa cultivation.
Table 2 Area under Moringa in Different Districts of Tamil Nadu
Sl. No.
Name of the District
Area under Moringa
(Ha)
Percentage to Total Area under
Moringa in Tamil Nadu
Average Productivity /
Position
01
Theni
3424
26.25
First
02
Dindigul
2645
20.28
Second
03
Karur
2070
15.87
Third
04
Thoothukkudi
1465
11.23
Fourth
05
Tiruppur
1191
9.13
Fifth
06
Ariyalur
813
6.23
Sixth
07
Madurai
536
4.11
Seventh
08
Other Districts
898
6.89
Total Area in Ha
13042
100.00
51.45
Note: Season and Crop Report of Tamil Nadu (2015-16)
3 Problem Focus
Before attaining the sufficiency in production, the policy makers and the administrators should provide
appropriate platform for initiating the marketing of horticultural produce like Moringa. Since these are highly
perishable, the production, processing, value addition and export related issues need to be addressed. Though the
existing arrangements for marketing of farm produce are appreciable, there could be some gap in Institutional
linkages, empowering farmers’ organizations and their role in marketing of Moringa. Whether these
arrangements are fulfilled by the Government for facilitating marketing and export of Moringa through some
institutional arrangement or not is unavailable to the researcher and hence an attempt has been made to assess the
existing marketing, value addition and export practices prevalent in respect of farmers and the traders of Western
and Southern Tamil Nadu.
Though India had higher market access among the Global partners with regard to the Moringa, still some
consignments in fruits are rejected by certain countries for want of sanitary and phytosanitary issues and the
specification of the importing country is unmet and hence rejection is visible. In this respect, the role of APEDA
is giving an orientation to the exporters through appropriate package of training and the strict adherence of
