Started farming with ₹2000, Surendrajit earns lakhs of rupees now
Source: Chronicle News Service / Sagolsem Bigyan

Imphal, August 08 2022: Starting off by planting vegetables with a meagre Rs 2,000 in his pocket, farmer Sairem Surendrajit now earns lakhs of rupees annually by selling different types of vegetables from his own farm which also employed himself though unable to get any government job.

Hailing from Taretkhul Awang Leikai in Imphal East district, 37 years old Sairem Surendrajit, son of Rabei converted his one Sangam of land into a gold field, literally, by planting cabbage and cucumber thrice a year thereby earning him lakhs of rupees annually.

In an exclusive interview, Surendrajit told The People's Chronicle that he belongs to a farming family as his father is a farmer and mother a housewife.

Surendrajit said that he is youngest 6f seven siblings comprising four brothers and three sisters but none of them got any government job.

He also said that he could not pursue higher studies due to poor financial condition of the family though cleared class X examination from Keibi High School and class XII from Biramangol College, Sawombung.

According to Surendrajit, he tried poultry farming initially to earn money after his mind was unsettled for some years but was unable to succeed.

However, an elder man, named Thangjam Ranjit from Tiger Camp suggested growing vegetables and accordingly he started planting vegetables by selling off all the poultry which fetched around Rs 2,000 only.

Surendrajit said he started planting American pea for the first time with only Rs 2,000 in hand in 2007 but fetched Rs 10,000 after harvesting the plants.

The handsome profit earned from selling American pea gave him the courage to take up watermelon and bottle gourd plantation on trial basis and it fetched Rs 70,000 in one cropping and then tried cabbage and bottle gourd plantation, he said, adding that he initially sold his farm products at Lamlong Keithel but later shifted to Nagamapal to develop a permanent market for his farm products.

"After one year of hard work, I managed to purchase a Maruti Van in 2008 for ferrying vegetables to market and it helps in transportation of harvested crops to market," he added.

Surendrajit further informed that he married Moirangthem Ibemcha from Leitanpokpi in 2009 and continued the farming activities with her support.

The income generated from planting different types of vegetables from time to time could easily raise their two children including bearing their educational expenses, he added.

"At one point of time, I planted small size pumpkin locally known as Chara Tambi Mairel and customers liked it a lot but the changing mar ket scenario compelled me to take up cabbage and cucumber plantation and it has been continuing since the past five years," Surendrajit said, adding that three cropping of cabbage and cucumber in a year fetch him huge profit.

"In the first cropping, I planted cabbage in October and started selling the crop after two and half months and fetched more than Rs 2 lakh.

In the second cropping, I started planting cucumber in March after around 10 days of ploughing and started selling cucumber after one and half month and this crop too fetched around Rs 2 lakh.

Cucumber plantation continued in the third cropping after proper ploughing and this too fetched more than Rs 2 lakh," he said, adding that he could earn more than Rs 6 lakh in a year.

Surendrajit revealed that he is yet to get any help from the government or relevant department, nor acquired any training but continued farming by consulting his near and dear ones.

(This news report has been published as part of the media fellowship programme in scientific journalism sponsored by Public Relations and Media Management Cell, CAU Imphal and further enquiries, if any, about the report could be made through Dr Indira Thounaojam, Information and Publicity Officer PRMM cell or [email protected]) .

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