Agriculture

Harnessing The Potentials Of Moringa Tree

Published

12 years ago

February 8, 2012

Moringa is a tropical tree believed to have its origin in Agra and Oduh in the northwest region of India, South of the Himalayan mountains and mentioned in the a “shushruta Sanhita” which was written in the beginning of the First Century AD and has evidence that its cultivation in India dates back to many thousand years ago.

It is believed that the Indians knew that the seeds contain edible oil and they used them for medicinal purposes and the common people knew of its value and used it as fodder or vegetable.

The tree which can be found growing naturally at elevations of up to 1000m above sea level does well on hillsides but is more frequently found growing on pasture land or in river basins.

It is a fast growing tree and has been found to grow to 6-7m in one year in areas receiving less than 400mm mean annual rainfall (Odee, 1988).

Today, it is cultivated throughout the middle East and in almost the whole of the tropical belt and was introduced into Eastern Africa from India at the beginning of the 20th century and as a non-cultivated plant, it was known for its resistance to drought and decease.

Because this tree has so many potential uses, the trio of Foid N, Makkar H.P.S. and Becker K. conducted an extensive research programme on it over a period of 10 years with financial assistance from the Austraian government and the University of Hohenheim, Stuggart.

According to them, the Plant possesses many properties which make it of great scientific interest which include high protein contents of the leaves, twigs and stem and oil contents of the seeds. They also identified the presence of growth factors in the leaves and high sugar and starch content of the entire plant.

They equally identified the fact that few parts of the tree contain any toxins that might decrease its potentials as a source of food for animals or humans.

On the Socio-economic aspect, Moringa is one of the most useful and versatile tropical plants. The relative ease with which it propagates through both sexual and asexual means and its low demand for soil nutrients and water after being planted makes its production and management easy and the introduction of Moringa into a farm which has a biodiverse environment can be beneficial to both the owner of the farm and the surrounding ecosystem.

For humans, the young leaves which are edible are commonly coked and eaten like spinach or used to make soups and salads and the young green pods are very tasty and can be boiled and eaten like green beans. The pods are best for human consumption at the stage when they can be broken easily without leaving any visible strings or fibre.

According to a nutritionist expert and Managing Director and Chief Executive of Dilomat Farms Ltd. Chief Moore Chindah, the dry seeds and leaves of Moringa can be ground to a power and used for seasoning and sauces and the roots from young plants can also be dried and ground for use as a hot seasoning base with a flavour similar to that of horse radish.

A tasty hot sauce from the roots can also be prepared by cooking them in vinegar, and the flowers can be eaten after being lightly blanched or raw as a tasty addition to salads. The rasin from the trunk of the tree is also useful for thickening sauces.

For industrial uses of the Moringa oil, it is estimated that the oil content of the de-hulled seed (Kernel) is approximately 42%. The oil can be used as a lubricant for fine machinery such as time pieces because it has little tendency to deteriorate and become racid and sticky and it is also useful as a vegetable cooking oil. The oil is known for its capacity to absorb and retain volatile substances and is therefore valuable in the perfume industry for stabilizing scents.

As a forage plant, the nutritional characteristics of the Moringa tree are excellent so it can easily be used as a fresh forage material for cattle.

The leaves are rich in protein, carotene, iron and ascorbic acid and the pod is rich in amino acid Iysine.

Another important advantage of Moringa is its high production of fresh material per unit area compared to other forage crops. Moringa is especially useful as a forage for cattle both economically and productively, given the problems facing typical cattle breeders. Moringa trees have been used to combat malnutrition especially among infants and nursing mothers.

Three Non Governmental Organisations, NGO, in particular – Trees For life, Church World Service and Educational Concerns for Hunger Organisation have advocated Moringa as “natural nutrient for the Tropics”.

Leaves can be eaten fresh, cooked or stored as dried power for many months without refrigeration and reportedly without loss of nutritional value. Moringa is especially promising as a food source in the tropics because the tree is in full leaf at the end of the dry season when other foods are typically scarce.

The kernels of Moringa can be crushed and its water extract used for purification of water and the oil extract can be used for human consumption.

In the African context, Moringa is a very simple and readily available tool to help prevent malnutrition.

Since the Moringa tree is dought resistant and fast growing and present in nearly all tropical countries, the cultivation of the plant for its various uses and needs as food and medicine for local use, cannot be over stressed.

As earlier stated, its edible leaves are already an occasional food source in West Africa regions and appear at the end of the dry season.

Moringa is probably the most useful plant in the entire world as every part of the plant can be used as food. While the seed is eaten like a peanut in some climes, the thickened root is used as a substitute for horse radush.

The leaves are ground and used for scrubbing utensils and for cleaning walls and its seeds Yeil about 40% of non-drying oil known as Ben oil used in the arts among other uses.

The oil is clear, sweet and odourless and useful in the manufacture of perfumes and hairdressing, and in Africa, Moringa is planted as a living fence and its bark can serve as a platform for tanning.

The trees are also planted on graves in Africa to keep wild animals especially hynas away and the branches they say serve as charms against withcraft.

Moringa’s medical uses are many. The flowers, leaves, seeds and roots are used as folk remedies for tumours and the leaves are applied as a poultice to sores and rubbed on the temples for headache.

A large number of reports on the nutritional qualities of Moringa now exist in both the scientific and popular literature. They say Moringa leaves contain more vitamin A than Carrots, more calcium than milk, more iron than spinach, more vitamic C than oranges and more potassium than bananas and that the protein quality of Moringa leaves rivals that of milk and eggs.

The oral histories recorded by Lowell Fyglie in Senegal and throughout West Africa who reports countless instances of live saving nutritional rescue are attributed to Moringa.

Infact the nutitional properties of Moringa are now so well known that there seems to be little doubt of the substantial health benefit to be realised by the Consumption of Moringa leaf powder in situations where starvation was imminent.

Nonetheless, the outcomes of well controlled and well documented clinical studies are still clearly of great value.

In many cultures throughout the tropics, differentiation between food and medicinal uses of plants eg bark, fruit, leaves, nuts, seeds, tubers, roots and flowers are very difficult since plant uses span both categories and this is deeply ingrained in the traditions and the fabric of the Community .

Known as Ikwe Oyibo in Ibo, Ewe-ile in Yoruba and Gawara in Fulani and Zogall in Hausa languages, it could be said without any doubt that from the pure Moringa, we can get very good benefits for the health which are very much reported in studies of the leaf.

It is the organic, natural, endurance and energy supplement of health. In other words, it is the ultimate thing and the most beneficial and purest part of the plant is the powdered Moringa leaf.

According to the annals of the ayurveda, India’s old tradition of medicines, the leaves of Moringa tree could treat at least 300 diseases.

They say the leaf has no proven bad side effects as it is absolutely safe and organic and because of its tolerant properties, it has been given to malnourished little babies in Africa.

Also, athletes all over the world boost their performance abilities by taking huge quantities of the leaf to keep them fit both mentally and physically. It is their secret weapon, even senior citizens who are losing their sharpness of mind, the Moringa tree leaf could be a great help and the power knows no age group.

“Unfortunately, the Moringa leaf is comparatively an unheard name in spite of the fact that it has been found mentioned more than two thousand years before, and the World Health Organisation has been observing and utilising the tree for more than forty years now as a cheap health supplement in the poverty stricken countries the world over”.

“There is a reason behind this. The selling of all kinds of health supplements, minerals and vitamins is a lucrative business. No big company would ever take the risk of introducing a name that could potentially harm and lower the sale of all other nutritional items”.

The same hold water for the pharmaceutical countries too. These huge companies would prefer to keep the general public in the dark about the benefits of the Moringa leaf to make big bucks for their own.

The benefits of the Moringa leaf are voluminous such as increase in the natural defences of the body, provision of nourishment to the eyes and brain, promotes metabolism with bio-available ingredients, promotes natural serum cholesterol, lowers the appearance of wrinkles and fineness.

It also promotes the normal functioning of the liver and kidneys, beautifies the skin, promotes digestion and acts as an antioxidant and takes care of the immune system of the body.

“Today, large scale cultivation and use of the Moringa plant has been intensified and initiated in Malawi, Kenya, India, Tanzania and Nicaragua among others, therefore it has become persistently expedient for the authorities in Nigeria to toe the line of these progressives in order to tap the full benefits associated with the use of the Moringa tree”.

No doubt, the Hon. Minister of Agriculture, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina could not be said to be a stranger on the subject of the Moringa tree which of course has an international status.

To this end, therefore, it is expected that the federal government put machinery in place to see to the large scale cultivation of the Moringa tree not only at the national level but the process should be replicated in all the states of the federation.

Infact to underscore the importance of the Moringa tree, to the economic as well as the social aspect of a nation’s life, India which is the largest producer of Moringa with an annual production of 1.1 to 1.3 million tones of tender fruit from an area of 380Km2 was doing so mainly on the aim of reducing poverty and malnutrition through imposed production and consumption of vegetables.

For Nigeria, this is the time to key into harnessing the full potentials of the almighty Moringa Tree.

Agriculture

Nigeria’s Agric Exports Face Rejections Overseas

Published

1 month ago

March 15, 2024

The Tide

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) says Nigeria has lost its leading position in the agriculture export markets because its agricultural commodities do not meet the sanitary and phytosanitary requirements of the foreign markets.
According to WTO, despite the abundance of arable lands and increased investments, the nation has transitioned into a net importer of farm produce that was previously cultivated domestically, undermining efforts aimed at ensuring food sustainability.
The Director-General, WTO, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, disclosed this in Abuja at the launch of seven trade support programmes initiated by the WTO-ITC to boost the development of Nigeria’s trade and industry standards.
The initiatives, namely the Standards Trade Development Facility, Digital Trade Initiative support, Women Exporters Entrepreneurship support, National Trade Portal and cotton development initiative, aim to provide technical support to strengthen food safety, animal and plant health capacity in developing countries, address challenges of e-commerce digital trade divide and establish a world-class technology centre for all trade-related data and information in Nigeria.
“We are launching today with STDF, ITC, and the NEPC, a project to help with international safety and quality certification for sesame and cowpeas or black-eyed peas.
“The agriculture sector in Nigeria has the potential to be a major driver of export diversification and job creation, but too much of this potential remains unrealized, due to a variety of barriers.
“In fact, Nigeria has not only lost out in agricultural export markets, it is a net food importer spending about billions a year on goods, many of which we can also produce here.
“Some of Nigeria’s unrealised potential has to do with trade-related problems on the supply side, and that is what this project is seeking to rectify”, the WTO DG stated.
Specifically, she said Nigerian cowpea and sesame exports were increasingly facing rejections in several destination markets due to non-compliance with international SPS requirements.
According to her, the failure to comply with regional, global and import country sanitary and phytosanitary standards has resulted in loss of sales, revenue, and hard currency due to export rejects.
Last week, the former Finance Minister charged Nigeria and other African countries to improve the quality of their shea exports to international standards.
She added, “Nigeria is the world’s largest producer and consumer of cowpeas. Sesame is primarily an export crop, and Nigeria is the world’s fourth leading producer, exporting to the EU, Türkiye, Japan, South Korea and other Asian markets.
“However, Nigerian cowpea and sesame exports have increasingly faced rejections in several destination markets due to non-compliance with international SPS requirements”.
She said for example, “Nigeria accounts for over a third of Japan’s sesame imports, but health and safety inspections during the past few years have found instances where pesticide residue levels were nearly double the maximum residue limits permissible from 2019 to 2021″.
Hence to tackle the challenges, Okonjo-Iweala said the WTO was partnering with relevant stakeholders to build the capacities of stakeholders across the sesame and cowpeas value chains to better understand market access requirements and improved agricultural practices such as pesticide application, hygiene techniques, harvest and post-harvest methods, and food safety.
She said the project, which would be implemented with $1.2mn funding, would improve the country’s non-oil export.
On her part, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Doris Aniete, said the Ministry was putting in place policies and mechanisms that would facilitate and enhance trade, while also removing all the bottlenecks hampering trade and investment.
She further stated that the Ministry had started rolling out the N50bn Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme through the Bank of Industry, targeting various economic players.
She added that a N150bn intervention through the FGN MSME and Manufacturing Sector Fund, providing low-interest loans that are pivotal for scaling businesses and spurring job creation would commence very soon.
“We are achieving this by facilitating a strong enabling environment for businesses to thrive, developing robust policies and reforms, increasing access to financing, widening access to global markets, driving investments, and creating job opportunities, all in line with the vision of Mr President.
“In 2024 we are focused on improving infrastructural capacity such as power and transport, as well as soft infrastructure such as transparent regulation, policy consistency, the rule of law, and a culture of efficient collaboration and synergy among various government agencies and offices.
“We believe this will facilitate an environment where business operations are not hindered by red tape but can continue to thrive”.
Also speaking, the Executive Director of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council, Nonye Ayeni, explained that the project, expected to last for three years, would enhance the quality and standard of sesame and cowpea through the institution of good Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary conducts.
She disclosed that in 2022, the worldwide value of sesame exports and its value chain amounted to $7.35bn, projected to surge to $9.27bn by 2032. Similarly cowpeas were valued at $7.2bn in 2023, with an anticipated rise to $9.43bn by 2028.
“This project, STDF 845, will therefore enhance the quality and standard of sesame and cowpea through the institution of good Sanitary and Phyto-sanitary conducts, Good Agricultural and Warehousing practices, packaging/labelling and excellent storage systems.
“All these are expected to forestall frequent contract cancellations and loss of business opportunities while allowing a significant increase in global acceptance of the items and for better quality of these products consumed locally.
“This project is designed to last for three years to enhance the integrity of the cowpea and Sesame value chain from Nigeria.
“Therefore, the focus lies on improved practices that will enable Nigerian stakeholders to comply with Maximum Residue Levels of selected pesticides used in Cowpeas and Sesame and Microbiological contamination with Salmonella (Sesame).
“Overall, it will improve the regulatory and control system as well as farming and processing practices applied for Cowpea and Sesame”, she concluded.

Agriculture

WOFAN Provides Health Care Services For Rural Women Farmers

Published

1 month ago

March 15, 2024

The Tide

The Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN-ICON2), with support from MasterCard Foundation, and in partnership with Benson Colman and Associate Limited, has provided a “Lab-ulance” to support the healthcare system of a farming community in Gwarimpa Village, Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This is part of its activities to mark this year’s International Women’s Day celebration.
The Lab-ulance is a tricycle fully kitted with medical equipment such as laboratory equipment, midwifery equipment, refrigerator powered by a solar system and other basic health equipment.
Executive Director of WOFAN, Hajia Salamatu Garba, while interacting with journalists at the unveiling of the programme, said the initiative was borne out of the concerns that farmers too need to be healthy before they can farm.
“It is the same thing that we are talking about and it is where holistic development is missing in Nigeria, because someone is farming doesn’t mean that after giving him fertiliser and seed, then you go and fold your arms, no.
“Farmers need to remain healthy before they can produce food for us sustainably. And if you look at the farming communities, they lack access to roads, healthcare facilities and so on. They can’t at first hand get services for their families.
“This was what brought the issue of Lab-ulance. These are youth that are working with WOFAN that decided to go innovative and come up with a very simple and affordable transport system that can also carry a doctor.
“In this Lab-ulance, we have the midwifery, we have the laboratory equipment, we have every equipment you need, including a refrigerator that is powered by solar system. This is the kind of development that we need in Nigeria”, Hajia Garba said.
She said it is ideal for every ward in Nigeria to have this system linked to primary healthcare and doctors would not be seen running away from duties because they have necessary facilities.
According to her, the women are required to pay only N2,500 as health insurance which will cover their husband and two children.