Moringa leaf cultivation is an important part of Savera Farm's short term crop portfolio. Over 10,000 saplings were initiated in polybags during last week of June. Typically, saplings are ready to be transplanted in about 45 days, but we decided to delay the task due to meager summer monsoons. In our nursery, the saplings had grown rigorously and were overdue their day in the sun!
During August, we saw the arrival of torrential rains to the tune of 15 mm in one day (yes, we have an udometer!). The temperatures were right, with plenty of humidity, and it was the right time to move the leafy herbs into the fields. Some of you may remember, we are planning on sprinkler irrigation for our Moringa acreages. We are following a grid of 2x2 ft. The depth of the plantation is a periodic 8 ft, followed by a pathway of 4 ft. In other words, the labor would not have to go more than 4 ft inside to harvest the leaves.
During a recent visit to the agir-fair, we discovered machines which can be used for leave pruning at tea farms, etc. There are several providers with varying specs, ranging from petrol driven to battery operated and we are excited to try out these pruners on our Moringa plants. We still have a couple of months before harvest, so stay tuned on our experiences.
After ploughing the field, pit creation and preparation was performed. It took approx 22 man-days to dig 10,000 pits and about 40 man days to plant them. Appropriate amounts of pressmud manure was applied before planting the saplings. We have utilized seeds from our in-house PAVM variety which is currently successfully producing drumsticks.
For those of you, who are interested in cultivating moringa for leaf or pod purpose, we can provide disease free and healthy sapling. We are always looking for producers interested in partnering around bulk production. Similarly, traders or processors may connect with us for their Moringa leaf requirements. Our acreages and cultivator network will continue to grow in the coming months.
During August, we saw the arrival of torrential rains to the tune of 15 mm in one day (yes, we have an udometer!). The temperatures were right, with plenty of humidity, and it was the right time to move the leafy herbs into the fields. Some of you may remember, we are planning on sprinkler irrigation for our Moringa acreages. We are following a grid of 2x2 ft. The depth of the plantation is a periodic 8 ft, followed by a pathway of 4 ft. In other words, the labor would not have to go more than 4 ft inside to harvest the leaves.
During a recent visit to the agir-fair, we discovered machines which can be used for leave pruning at tea farms, etc. There are several providers with varying specs, ranging from petrol driven to battery operated and we are excited to try out these pruners on our Moringa plants. We still have a couple of months before harvest, so stay tuned on our experiences.
After ploughing the field, pit creation and preparation was performed. It took approx 22 man-days to dig 10,000 pits and about 40 man days to plant them. Appropriate amounts of pressmud manure was applied before planting the saplings. We have utilized seeds from our in-house PAVM variety which is currently successfully producing drumsticks.
For those of you, who are interested in cultivating moringa for leaf or pod purpose, we can provide disease free and healthy sapling. We are always looking for producers interested in partnering around bulk production. Similarly, traders or processors may connect with us for their Moringa leaf requirements. Our acreages and cultivator network will continue to grow in the coming months.
Thanks For the update
ReplyDeleteCan you quantify the pod production from your PAVM in the first season i.e. per acre
Thanks
This may be dumb question, instead of doing all in couple of days how does it work if it is done progressively like use same set of labor and plant it overtime instead of having labor spikes.
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