JAGATSINGHPUR: Forty-eight-year-old Sangram Mantri is a born leader. Be it politics or farming, he has led with example.
In Jagatsinghpur district’s Kujang block, Mantri has not just returned to his roots by taking up organic farming, he is building a community of farmers who now believe traditional practices is the road to take.
A two-time sarpanch of Garei panchayat, Mantri has given up his political career to take a plunge into sustainable farming. More importantly, his personal efforts have now convinced nearly 500 farmers to use organic fertilisers instead of the chemical ones.
While many crave for power and authority, the 48-year-old from Bibacchpur chose a different path. Twice elected as sarpanch of Garei panchayat (2007-2012 and 2017-2022) and a former student leader of Adikabi Sarala Das College (1992-1997), Mantri has now returned to the soil. For him, it was not a retreat but beginning of a quiet change. Today, he practices integrated farming on nearly 8 acre of land.
In his farm, developed over the past two years, Mantri cultivates a wide variety of crops including apples, Thai apple berry, mango, guava, banana, brinjal and bitter gourd. He also introduced pisciculture on the Andhra Pradesh model and poultry farming to diversify. Keeping profit motive aside, his has been chosen to inspire farmers to switch to organic manure.
Mantri procures organic fertilisers from a factory in Athgarh and prepares compost using neem, karanj and mango leaves, mixing them with cow urine, besan, molasses, soil from beneath banyan trees, groundnut and mustard husk. According to him, this compost not only improves crop yield but also ensures disease-free fruits and vegetables.
Every day, three to four farmers from Erasama, Kujang, Tirtol, Balikuda and nearby areas visit his farm to learn about the tricks of organic practices. Nearly 400 to 500 farmers have already started using organic fertilisers in their paddy and vegetable crops.
“I availed Rs 4 lakh financial assistance for horticulture and Rs 7 lakh for pisciculture. Yet, no official has supervised my farm or my organic practices,” Mantri says.
“Government officials may have struggled to persuade farmers but my success proves that organic farming can yield more. One day, every farmer here will turn to organic. That will be my true victory,” he says.
Mantri says excessive use of chemical fertilisers is linked to diseases such as heart ailments, strokes, cancer and skin disorders. His goal is to build a healthier, disease-free society by promoting natural food - vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry, eggs, and other products-grown without harmful chemicals.
The 48-year-old has not limited his work to farming. He distributes his produce to poor families in the locality and supplies free food to old-age homes, helping improve nutrition among the underprivileged.
Sixty-year-old farmer Jadumani Muduli visited his farm and returned impressed. “Inspired, I have also started using organic fertilisers,” he said. Similarly, farmers Siba Charan Behera and Dinabandhu Jena too adopted organic practices under Mantri’s influence.
What government campaigns have struggled to achieve, this farmer has managed through personal example and community trust. His journey from politics to plough has not only sustained his livelihood but also ignited hope for a healthier, chemical-free society.
Assistant director of Horticulture, Anil Kumar Sethy praised the efforts of Mantri for propagating the use of organic fertilisers and dedication to motivating local farmers to adopt organic practices.