Successful agri-entrepreneur at the age of 82 years

A CORRESPONDENT

ITANAGAR: An elderly village head in Arunachal Pradesh, who apart from parenting a record number of children as officers in the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, for which he and his better half Mongam Ete Padu received the 'Governor of Arunachal Pradesh State award for Best Parent', has turned a successful Agri-entrepreneur at the age of 82 years.

Pogam Padu, Head Gaon Burah of Kamdi village, West Siang, has achieved the 'milestone' by establishing the first Natural Rubber Sheet Manufacturing Unit under the aegis of 'Pogam Padu Rubber Estate' at Hiri, Kamdi village near the district headquarters, Aalo. The Unit was inaugurated on Sunday.

In the year 2007 he started growing rubber trees on an experimental basis which were procured from some nurseries of Itanagar. Then he started his own rubber plant nurseries by purchasing stumps from the Guwahati-based Manimalayar Rubber Board in 2011 and planted the money crops in 2013.

Out of seven nos of 'Pogam Padu Rubber Estates', two estates were damaged completely due to the 'TAH' (Trans-Arunachal Highway) construction activities in 2016 and now only five rubber estates remain with more than 8,000 rubber trees.

On reaching out to Pogam Padu, on how he came across such an idea, the octogenarian said that he did it all by choice. He is fond of planting trees and maintaining a green environment and thought of plantations. At the same time he wanted a permanent source of income, hence ventured into rubber plantations. He is the first rubber grower of West Siang district.

Further, he said that later on he got technical support from the field officers of Rubber Board of India, Itanagar and the scientists from the Manimalayar Rubber Board. He is grateful to the Govt of Arunachal Pradesh for giving roller machines free of cost through the District Agricultural Officer of West Siang district. His rubber estates are all registered by the Rubber Board, Itanagar.

Padu has given a clarion call to all the villagers of Kamdi, Darka and the entire Aalo area to go for rubber plantation as permanent occupation to improve their economic conditions, noting that rubber is called 'white gold' and it will revolutionise the society if more and more growers enter into this field instead of other seasonal and non perennial source of income.

The inaugural ceremony was attended by former Minister Doi Ado, retired IAS officer Gamli Padu, Shi-Yomi Addl Deputy Commissioner Gamtum Padu and West Siang District Agriculture Officer Margi Ete, among others.

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