Miracle moringa tree a moneymaker for Makueni farmers

Moringa, also known as miracle tree, is a drought-resistant tree that has various medicinal and nutritional benefits.

According to the Kenya Forestry Research Institute, Moringa does well in hot weather and low rainfall areas.

The tree species has many nutritional and medicinal benefits derived from various parts of the tree. The leaves are a good source of protein, vitamins A, B and C, and minerals such as calcium and iron.

“The pods, green peas and seeds can be eaten, while the flowers can either be eaten or used to make tea. It can also be used to make products such as Moringa powder, tea and massage oil from the leaves.

Data from KEFRI shows Moringa powder can be used as a food supplement to treat ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure, skin disorders, indigestion, anaemia and in faster healing of wounds.

As as result, business is booming at Emuka Moringa Farmers’ Cooperative Society Shop, in Emali town about 124km from Nairobi.

Veronicah Mwikali, a shop attendant, says they sell different products made from the Moringa tree, including oil, leaf powder, facial scrub, moringa pellets, moringa fortified flours, moringa seeds and moringa animal and chicken feeds.

Mwikali explained that its oil can be used as cosmetics to clear face marks, pimples, burns, dandruffs or for smoothening or nourishing the skin.

She said the oil is packaged in different sizes and the prices vary. A litre of oil extracted from the Moringa tree costs about Sh8,000, half a litre sells Sh4,000, a quarter goes for Sh2,000 and the smallest pack weighing 60ml costs Sh600.

Mwikali said there is a huge market for beauty products across the country, and that the oil is the most sought after product from the shop.

She said the leaf powder, which is used in tea, hot water, vegetables and other foodstuffs, is the second best-selling product due to its medicinal value.

Joseph Nyambuya from Kiliku, Kibwezi West in Makueni county has an eighth acre farm and has planted Moringa trees.

“It has not rained for months. The last time we saw rain was in November last year. Farmers who planted after the rains have since lost all their crops. The Moringa trees have remained intact even in extreme dry conditions since 2018, when I first planted them,” he said.

He plucks leaves and delivers them to a processing factory in Mwanyani. A kilo of fresh leaves sells at Sh22, in a month, Nyambuya can make about Sh5,000 from the Moringa tree.

He said all the parts of the Moringa tree are beneficial, including leaves, flowers, roots, the young pods and the seeds. He is planning to plant more trees to make an acre.

Theophillus Somba, Emuka Moringa Cooperative Society chairperson said they get 450kg of leaves from farmers in a day.

“The leaves should also be of high quality to produce good powder, and mature and high quality seeds help us extract about five litres of oil in one day. The 450kgs of fresh leaves give around 50kg of dry leaves,” he said.

Somba said once farmers’ deliver the leaves, they are first sorted in order to get the right quality.

“They are then washed in three basins. The first basin contains normal water, where leaves are washed to remove dust, the second with salt to remove any disease or germs that could be on the leaves and the third basin is for rinsing,” he said.

“The leaves are then put on a drier for two days where they are turned after every 30 minutes at a controlled temperature of 50 degrees,” Somba said.

The farmers have been enjoying the fruits of Moringa tree thanks to a value chain project being implemented in Kajiado and Makueni counties. This is through funding from the New Zealand government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, ChildFund New Zealand, ChildFund Kenya and Barnfonden.

“Moringa tree is rich in vitamins high in protein content, and minerals like calcium, iron, zinc, potassium and magnesium. Compared to other vegetation, Moringa has over 20 per cent capacity to absorb carbon emissions that contribute to global warming and climate change,” Phineas Gikunda, ChildFund Kenya project manager, said.

He said they started the project in 2017 with just a handful of farmers but the number has increased to over 300 and they are targeting 1,000 farmers.

He said they have been promoting Moringa farming because of its economic, social, nutritional and ecological benefits through various value chain interventions including production, processing or value-addition and marketing through the Emuka Moringa Farmers’ Cooperative Society.

“After harvesting leaves and seeds, farmers take them to a central processing unit where they manufacture various products, packaged into different weights and volumes and label them before they are ready for the market,” Gikunda said.

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