Nicaragua has launched the Fidel Castro Moringa Development Center, a facility aimed at researching, producing, and promoting the plant that the late Cuban dictator hailed as a panacea for health, agriculture, and livestock. Spanning 110 acres, the center is committed to seed production, research, and silvopastoral systems, while continuing to emphasize the supposed miraculous benefits of moringa, as reported by the news outlet Sputnik on their Telegram profile.
According to Nadir Reyes, a researcher and professor at the National Agrarian University, the plant is "key" to food sovereignty and a future in exports, echoing the grandiose claims of the deceased Cuban leader. Reyes highlighted that the center aims to make moringa a fundamental part of national food strategies, a vision that Fidel Castro once promoted with a nearly prophetic enthusiasm.
The Moringa Vision: From Rhetoric to Reality
Images shared by Sputnik on Telegram showcased various moringa-based products, such as soaps, multi-nutritional blocks, and vitamin syrups. Unlike Castro's rhetorical "Reflections," Nicaragua has chosen to institutionalize the passion for moringa through a research center.
In addition to the Fidel Castro Moringa Development Center, the Nicaraguan government announced the relaunch of the Comandante Fidel Castro Moringa Development Program, as stated by the state-run media outlet El 19 Digital. This initiative, managed by the National Agrarian University (UNA), will support the center's activities with a focus on producing nutritional and medicinal supplements, as well as extracting oils and other derivatives.
Researching Moringa's Potential
Located on a farm at kilometer 69 of the Managua-León highway, the program aims to advance scientific research to maximize moringa's potential as a food and commercial resource. Its objectives include strengthening the country's food security and fostering entrepreneurship centered around moringa products.
The Fidel Castro Moringa Development Center, as detailed on its website, is dedicated to promoting both national and international research on moringa, emphasizing its importance for human and animal health and nutrition. These studies aim to contribute to the scientific understanding of the plant, while the center also concentrates on the practical production and use of moringa for various purposes.
Furthermore, the center offers scientific articles and expert opinions, as well as audiovisual content highlighting the significance of moringa and its alleged impact on health and agriculture, following the ideas advocated by Fidel Castro. The new facility follows in the footsteps of the Technological Development Center Comandante Fidel Castro Ruz, which was inaugurated on August 13, 2017, coinciding with the birth anniversary of the late Cuban dictator.