Manipur's successful agripreneur Dina Oinam transforming "Waste to Wealth" with minimal investment
- ANI feature stories focused on Manipur -

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Dina Oinam’s journey from a composer to a successful agripreneur in Manipur’s Thoubal district is a story of innovation, resilience, and transformation.

His “Waste to Wealth” model shows how optimum space utilisation can lead to maximum income, with minimal investment and lifetime returns.

Dina Oinam
Agripreneur
Translation: I began focusing on waste management, akin to promoting environmental health. Subsequently, I ventured into vermicomposting, a process that transforms waste into compost, which can be utilised personally or sold commercially. There is significant demand for this product in the market. My success stems from the fact that while people often overlook waste materials, there is a high demand for the valuable product once it has been properly processed.

The concept was first envisioned between 2014 and 2015, when Dina started converting kitchen waste into vermicompost. Through continuous research and development, he evolved the idea into a compact model combining vermiculture, agriculture, and horticulture all within a small but optimised space.

This included planting over 100 varieties of local herbs, vegetables, and plants with high medicinal value many traditionally consumed since ancestral times.

In 2018, Dina formally launched his integrated farming venture. Today, his space features a grapevine, black ginger growing in hanging pots, and a temperature-regulating poly roof all layered over a thriving vermiculture unit that produces 5 tonnes of compost each month.

He earns around Rs. 10–12 lakh annually from vermicompost alone, and an additional Rs. 60,000 to Rs. 80,000 from grapes. His low-cost, high-impact model is now inspiring thousands.

With the motto “Rs. 100 saved is Rs. 100 earned,” Dina has trained over 5,000 people in his method. Around 80 of them still work closely with him and earn Rs. 2,000 a day on average.

Encouraged by the results, Dina is now promoting large-scale commercial cultivation of native plants like Peruk, Awa-phadigom, bamboo, and lotus.

Chaoba Akoijam
Farmer
Translation: We require additional training, and it's essential for usto grasp the technical aspects. That’s why we've informed our supervisor that we will study, and afterward, we will achieve success as entrepreneurs.

A graduate in Arts from Ramjas College, Delhi, Dina once composed songs for films. Today, his melodies have evolved into a sustainable symphony of self- reliance.

Dina Oinam’s success story is not just about farming — it’s about turning vision into value, and waste into wealth.