Factors influencing moringa cultivation in Tamil Nadu – an economic analysis

Moringa (Moringa oleifera Lam.) belongs to the family ‘Moringaceae’ is a fast growing multipurpose medicinal tree extensively grown in tropics and subtropics of India and Africa. It is also widely distributed in Egypt, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Pakistan, Singapore, West Indies, Cuba, Jamaica and Nigeria. In eastern and southern regions of India, Moringa is widely used as vegetable and grown commercially for its edible pods and leaves. Moringa oleifera is an important food commodity which has had enormous attention as the ‘Natural Nutrition of the Tropics’. Almost all the parts of this plant: root, bark, gum, leaf, fruit (pods), flowers, seed and seed oil have been used for various ailments in the indigenous medicine of South Asia. Its popularity is increasing steadily because of its nutritional, medicinal value and for its sweetness in curry and slurry preparation along with red gram dhal. From that one could understand the importance of Moringa.2–4