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Melia Dubia, also known as the Malabar Neem Wood, is a tropical deciduous tree. It is a very fast-growing tree, particularly under irrigation. As a softwood tree, it grows best in well-drained, fertile soil. Very few side branches grow on this tree, which can be easily trimmed. It has a small, thin crown. This means that the owner of a Melia Dubia plantation can engage in intercropping by planting additional crops like groundnuts and grams; and with proper spacing of at least 15x 15 feet gap between the trees, farmers can also grow banana trees or coconut trees alongside. Plantation of Melia Dubia trees involves very low-maintenance costs. It is cheaper than cultivating other timber trees. The primary challenge of the Melia Dubia farming is the low germination rate of its seedlings. Melia Dubia seeds have a hard seed coat, which interferes with germination. The seeds can be partially decomposed by placing them in cow dung heaps. About 5 kg of dung is required per 2 kg seeds. The dung should be moistened with water and kept under shade for about 2 months. Then, the outer seed coat will be soft and can be peeled away, exposing kernels that look like sunflower seeds.