Photo Courtesy: nagalandpost
Kohima: Mantuk Phom turned his 12-acre farm in Apoiji village into a profitable natural farming hub. He started this shift in 2020 after training from ICAR-Krishi Vigyan Kendra in Longleng. Yields dropped when he cut chemical inputs. Phom stuck with it. He followed technical guidance and converted his entire landholding to natural methods.
His farm now pulls in Rs. 14.25 lakh every year. He mixes tea, rice, bananas, vegetables, livestock, and fisheries into one operation. Phom relies on natural inputs like Ghanajeevamrit, Jeevamrit, Beejamrit, Neemastra, and Agniastra. He even created a custom botanical pest repellent. The locals have a name for his creation, noting that his locally developed preparation is "popularly known as Mantuckastra among the Phom tribe."
Soil health improved across the acreage. Data shows phosphorus levels jumped 179 percent between 2024 and 2026. Shubhendu Kumar Behera of ICAR-KVK Longleng provided the technical support for this transition. The tea crop alone spans six acres and generates Rs. 7.9 lakh from 158 quintals of green leaf.
The operation currently employs 10 workers. Phom has also trained 211 farmers, and 67 of them now use natural methods in villages such as Setap, Ngetchongching, Namha, Bura Namsung, and Pongching. Future plans include adding small-scale processing and branding to boost farm income even further.
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