Hayleys ‘Jeevadhara’ to improve rural livelihood and nutrition with 1 mln murunga plants
View(s):Hayleys Agriculture, the agriculture arm of the leading multinational conglomerate Hayleys PLC, has launched the ‘Jeevadhara’ programme to provide one million Moringa (Murunga/Drumstick/Moringa Oleifera) plants to families in Jaffna and neighbouring areas of the Northern Province via a network of 100,000 out-growers.
‘Jeevadhara’ intends to enhance farmer incomes and livelihoods while creating a sustainable supply of pods and leaves for domestic consumption and value added exports, the company said in a media release. The project intends to reach 100,000 households in Jaffna, Killinochchi, Mullaitivu, Mannar and Vavuniya providing around 10 plants per household.
The initial batch of one thousand farmers, were given 10,000 Moringa plants at a handing over ceremony at Navatkuli Maha Vidyalayam in Kaithady, Jaffna, in the presence of several key dignitaries of the region.
Traditionally grown in a small scale in Northern Sri Lanka for centuries, Moringa oleifera is catching on as a miracle tree with the leaves and pods classed as ‘super-food’, globally. Gram for gram, Moringa is known to have two times the protein of plain yogurt, four times the calcium of milk, 25 times the iron of spinach, four times the vitamin A of carrots, and seven times the vitamin C of oranges.
Hayleys Agriculture says it is confident that a farmer could earn an additional income of around Rs. 50,000 per year from 10 mature trees. Moreover, every aspect of the tree from the leaves to the pods can be value added for income generation. With its myriad applications from leaf powder to pod-pressed edible oil, the plant is on an overdrive of popularity, with health authorities having re-discovered its massive nutrition and health benefits.
“The agro ecological conditions in the North, where Jeevadhara is being rolled out, is conducive for Moringa cultivation” said Rizvi Zaheed, Managing Director of Hayleys Agriculture Holdings.