Succeeded in Processing and Commercializing Moringa by Utilizing Electricity Supplied from Photovoltaic Power Generation Systems

April 20, 2020

Production of dietary supplements from moringa grown by farmers

About a year and a half have passed since the launch of efforts to grow and process moringa at the P3M training center of Yayasan Dian Desa with local residents.
Neighborhood farmers, who learned to grow moringa and received seedlings grown on the P3M premises, are growing the crop in their fields. A total of 52,000 seedlings have been provided and 187 kg of moringa has been harvested.

Meanwhile, local residents have been seeking better methods for processing moringa such as making crackers.
Their efforts bore fruit and supplements have been commercialized by powdering and capsuling moringa leaves dried by utilizing electricity supplied from photovoltaic and energy storage systems. They will develop a marketing plan by identifying needs and narrowing down target customers.

Farmers received seedlings grown in P3M (left) to grow them in their fields (right).
P3M purchases the crops.

Drying purchased moringa in the processing plant of P3M (left).
Using electricity supplied from photovoltaic and energy storage systems for operating air conditioners, dehumidifiers, and dryers in the dehumidification space (right).

Powdering (left), capsuling (center), and packing (right) dried moringa.

Production of jam and tea from grown roselle flowers

In the P3M farm, roselle, a type of hibiscus is grown in addition to moringa. Roselle tea produced from the red flowers that bloom in the dry season from May to July is a popular herbal tea that is drunk in Indonesia for promoting health and beauty.

The project team and local residents have been making efforts to produce roselle tea and jam since 2018, and have produced a total of 14.2 kg of tea and 8 kg of jam.

Roselle is grown in this field (left). Seeds and flesh are removed from cropped flowers using a tool to gather petals (center and right).

Cleaning petals (left) and drying them in the drying space (center). They will then be boiled down to make low-sugar jam. The package design is a prototype (right).

Production of “Forest Honey” from natural bees' nests

In the working hut of P3M, local residents, who participated in the training for extracting and filtering honey, process honey from natural bees' nests gathered in the nearby forest. A total of 300 kg was purchased from producers and out of which 30 kg honey has been produced. The project team and local residents will discuss sales channels, including direct sales to local companies.

Photo left: honey processing / right: processed honey

Establishment of sales channels to return profits to local residents

The next issue after the success of processing and commercializing moringa, roselle, and honey is to establish distribution channels. The project team will make efforts over a period of about two years designed to ensure that profits on sales are returned to the residents who participated in growing and processing crops.

To date, 100 people from the local community have participated in initiatives carried out at P3M. Some 4,000 households are living in the vicinity of P3M and more people are expected to become interested in participating. The project team will aim to help increase the income of the entire community while encouraging local residents to participate in the initiatives.