Retired soldier turns farmer to boost local economy

Taorem Bishwajit
IMPHAL, Feb : Waikhom Ibochouba (56), a retired military man from Samurou Mayai Leikai in Imphal West has embarked on an ambitious agricultural venture by planting apple ber (Moreh boroi), aiming to both contribute to local agriculture and keep money circulating within the State.
His decision to cultivate apple ber, a fruit commonly imported into Manipur from outside, stems from his desire to make the State more self-reliant and reduce dependence on external sources for products that can be locally grown.
He now runs a farm called Kanglei Heikol at Pukhrambam Mamang in Bishnupur, where he cultivates apple ber.
Speaking to The Sangai Express, Ibochouba shared that he joined the Border Security Force (BSF) as a Constable in 1990 and served in the force for about 30 years.
Stating that he took voluntary retirement in 2020 and started biofloc fish farming, he added that the idea to professionally cultivate apple ber came to him after a visit to Haryana.
During his visit, he said that he observed farmers planting apple ber on a large scale, which inspired him, as the fruit is quite popular in Manipur.
Ibochouba expressed confidence that his venture into apple ber farming would be successful, noting that the fruit is imported on a large scale to Manipur due to its popularity.
Saying that he began planting the fruit on a trial basis after consulting Dr M Thoithoi, a retired SMS of KVK Thoubal, he added that the first harvest of apple ber from his farm was tastier than the imported ones, which greatly boosted his confidence.
Saying that he planted around 250 apple ber trees in May 2021 on one sangam of land (a local unit of land measurement), he mentioned that he began harvesting fruits from December of the same year but made only about Rs 80,000.
Ibochouba said that he plants two varieties of apple ber in his farm -green apple ber and ball sundari.
He also said that he plants other crops in March-April to earn additional income.
Saying that the trees at his farm yield fruit from the last week of November to the first week of February, he mentioned that he earned over Rs 2.5 lakh this season.
He further stated that he hasn't taken any loans so far.
The farmer continued that the demand for apple ber in Manipur remains high despite large-scale imports, expressing his desire to expand his business.
In addition to selling the fruit, Ibochouba said that he also sells tree saplings.
Ibochouba added that he provides training on apple ber cultivation, and some of the trainees have already started their own ventures.
Expressing his vision to reduce dependence on external sources for products that can be locally grown, he hoped for more youths to get involved in such initiatives.
“I noticed that a significant amount of money from Manipur goes outside every year to purchase apple ber. I wanted to change that,” he added.
The story is written under the Award in Scientific Journalism Programme of CAU, Imphal.
For further details, please contact Dr Indira Thounaojam, Information & Publicity Officer, CAU Imphal, at [email protected] .