FAISALABAD: Pakistan can earn billions of dollars by promoting the cultivation of Moringa, said Professor Dr Shahzad Ahmad Basra of the University of Agriculture Faisalabad.
In an exclusive interview with APP, he said that Moringa gained popularity as a new super food because of its highly nutritious profile and powerful anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and tissue-protective properties and other health benefits. He said the demand of moringa was increasing as science had proved that it was one of the best nutritious and medicinal plants which had miracle properties.
He said that India had enchased this plant by taking lead in exporting Moringa. The India was earning approximately three billion dollars per annum from the export of Moringa related products, he said and added that Pakistan had also huge potential to commercially sow this miracle plant as local climate and land are most suitable for its cultivation.
He also underlined the need for value-addition in it and said that Moringa was not only a super food but also a medicinal plant which used for treatment of many diseases without any side effects.
He further said that Moringa was also a major remedy for different crop diseases as it was also used to kill injurious worms in addition to its use to clean the ordinary water.
Qamar Yusuf of Ayub Agriculture Research Institute said that Moringa, popularly known as Suhanjana, was native plant of Pakistan, India and Nepal.
Citing laboratory tests, he said the plant had 14 percent more calcium than it was present in the milk. Similarly, it has 2 percent more protein than yogurt. It also has 4 percent more vitamin A as compared to carrot. He further said that it has 7 percent more vitamin C than Orange and 3 percent more potassium than banana.
He said that it was the only plant which was rich in these five important ingredients which were vital for the human health. He further said that oil could also be extracted from its seeds which was comparable in quality with olive oil and could also be used as edible oil.
He said that Moringa was already being cultivated in Sindh and South Punjab for the last many centuries.
He said that cultivation of Moringa in February and March was recommended as in this case it could bear seeds after one year. The new leaves and flowers are grown in November and December in Sindh and South Punjab while in central Punjab its flowering season starts in January and February.
Nutritionist, Zuhair Shujah said that every part of Moringa plant could be used as food. Its fruit is in the shape of pod which is used as fresh vegetable. He said that the roots of young Moringa plant were radish type and are also used as pickle. Its leaves are used as fresh syrup and ketchup.
He said the plant was used for the last many centuries for the treatment of various nutritional deficiencies. He further told that in one tea spoon of dry powder of leaves of Moringa was sufficient to cater to the daily nutritional needs of any individual.
Speaking about medicinal value of Moringa, he said that it was recommended for the treatment of joint pains, blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol and many other chronic diseases.
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