Andhra Pradesh to Set Up 19 Moringa Processing Units Across State

The Andhra Pradesh government is promoting value-added processing of moringa to increase farmers’ incomes, strengthen Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) as business entities and create local employment opportunities for rural women, Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Rural Poverty Alleviation and NRI Empowerment Relations Kondapalli Srinivas said.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, the minister said the programme was being implemented under the aegis of the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP). The government has prepared a plan to establish 19 moringa processing units across the state, enabling farmers to move beyond merely selling moringa leaves and participate in processing, packaging, branding and marketing activities.

He said the plan was developed by taking the successful moringa processing units functioning at Veeraballi in YSR Kadapa district and Yerravaripalem in Tirupati district as models.

According to the minister, locations for the proposed units are being selected based on local climatic conditions, cultivation area, farmers’ interest, availability of raw material and the capacity of FPOs. High-yielding and quality moringa seeds are being procured from the Horticulture College and Research Institute at Periyakulam in Tamil Nadu and supplied to farmers.

The government is also organising special exposure visits to familiarise farmers and FPO representatives with processing techniques, quality control and marketing practices.

The moringa processing plant established in Yerravaripalem mandal of Tirupati district with livelihood funds is currently producing around 250 kg of moringa powder per day, Srinivas said.

At the farm level, farmers incur an estimated production cost of around Rs. 10 per kg of moringa leaves, while FPOs are purchasing the leaves from farmers at Rs. 15 per kg. This provides farmers with an additional Rs. 5 per kg as income over their production cost.

The Yerravaripalem unit was established at a cost of Rs. 86.80 lakh and currently sources moringa leaves from farmers cultivating the crop across around 300 acres.

Eligible farmers can also receive development assistance of up to Rs. 1.30 lakh per acre under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, subject to applicable rules, the minister said. Moringa cultivation has the potential to provide farmers with a net monthly income of Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000, he added.

Moringa powder has growing demand in domestic and international markets and is widely used in nutritional products, health drinks, herbal teas, nutraceuticals and Ayurvedic products, the minister said.

The state government is developing a comprehensive marketing strategy to sell moringa-based products through e-commerce platforms, with emphasis on proper packaging and market positioning. The initiative is expected to help FPOs access wider markets while enabling farmers to benefit from greater value addition across the moringa supply chain.