A Kilifi based oil maker is looking for farmers to supply them with moringa seeds.
The company buys the seeds from farmers and sells them to the beauty and health industry where it is used to make a variety of products such as moringa oil.
In this, farmers will be paid Sh250 for every kilo of the seeds supplied either in small or large quantities since there is no minimum or maximum amount set for supply.
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“When sorting and grading the produce we look for pure organic seeds with no pesticides on them and if certified to be of good quality farmers will receive payment within 24 hours of delivery of the seeds,” said Papu Haroon, the Managing Director of Kilifi Moringa Company Ltd.
Haroon says his company is motivated by the desire to help small scale farmers especially women to earn more income from the seeds which can be harvested twice to thrice in a year with incomes of about Sh101,000 per acre per year compared to maize which earns roughly Sh40,000 per year with just on harvest.
Moringa is a drought resistant tree that is native to India and is cultivated by smallholder farmers in Kenya for its leaves which are used as vegetables but farmers usually discard the seeds.
The tree can grow to a height of 10 to 12m and flowering begins six months after planting. In areas with constant rainfall, flowering can happen all-year round.
The crop does well in neutral to slightly acidic well drained sandy or loamy soils with a Ph level of 6.3 to 7.0.
It grows well in an altitude of 0-2000m receiving an annual rainfall of about 800mm.
In the world, India is the largest producer of moringa with an annual production of about 1.3m tonnes according to Wikipedia.
Papu Haroon can be reached on +254 721 388401