eBusiness Weekly
Kumbirai Tarusarira
HARARE – Zimbabwe’s trade development and promotion body, ZimTrade, has implored local Moringa producers to ensure uniformity in supply of the product and enhance production to meet international demand, as the country moves to tap into the US$2 billion global Moringa market.
According to statistics provided by the trade promotion body, as at December 2018 Europe contributed 38 percent of the international Moringa market.
The Moringa tree (Moringa-oleifera) is native to northern India and is a drought resistant tree.
On the global market, Moringa Leaf Powder is used as a nutritional supplement and falls in the same market category as green super foods such as spirulina, green barley, wheat and alfalfa sprouts.
Its leaves are used in nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. Apart from leaves, Moringa seeds and oil have huge market internationally with the oil from the plant being used as bio-fuel.
Zimtrade said Moringa producers should tap into the low global supply of the product by effectively producing the product.
“The global demand for the product stood at US$2 billion, with Europe constituting 38 percent of the total value.
“New producers of the Moringa oleifera can also create a niche market by producing organic moringa, which is currently under supplied globally.
“There is currently a duty of 7.2 percent on Indian Moringa exports to the EU. Zimbabwean producers can therefore take advantage of the I-EPA agreement which allows Zimbabwean products duty-free quota free entry into the EU,” said ZimTrade
A significant growth in Moringa products has been seen in the past decades as a result of growing awareness of their health benefits increasing consumer demand for Moringa products.
Countries which import the product are China, the US, Germany, Canada, South Korea and European countries.
Moringa is one of the most nutritionally dense plants in the world and EU reports have forecasted that its global market value will grow to approximately US$7 billion by 2020.
“There is currently a duty of 7,2 percent on Indian Moringa exports to the EU. Zimbabwean producers can therefore take advantage of the I-EPA agreement which allows Zimbabwean products duty-free quota free entry into the EU,” the trade promotion body said.
Zimbabwe has ideal climatic conditions to commercially grow Moringa. The plant is mostly suited to grow in dry regions and can be grown using rainwater alone for example Mbire District falls in the dry ecological region in Mashonaland Central were production of the crop is already being intensified.
