The first and only recipient of the Padma Shri in Garo Hills, Nanandra B Marak (60), is an embodiment that the adage ‘hard work always pays’ is still relevant even in this age of immediate gratification.
Marak’s pepper and areca nut farm in the village of Gondagre (Gonda Jasingre), around 20 kilometres from Tikrikilla, is a model farm in the area. His plantation lies on 5.5 hectares and holds more than 20,000 areca nut trees, all of which also have pepper vines twisted around them.
His story is one that has not only won national but also international acclaim and whatever plaudits that have come his way are well-deserved.
“I am extremely honoured to have received the Padma Shri award this year and express my thanks to all those involved behind the scenes to make it happen. Earlier, in 2019, I also received an international award for being the best pepper farmer in the entire country through the International Pepper Community (IPC). The award was announced in Vietnam at the international pepper conference,” said Marak.
The after effects of the acclaim helped him garner brownie points with the right people.
“I was helped by a friend, Ringrang Sangma (who is a resident of nearby Raksamgre). He informed the Central Pepper Board, based in Guwahati, about my farm after which the director, Dharmendra Das, paid a visit. He quizzed me on how I maintained the farm before my name was sent to the IPC,” said Nanandro.
What followed thereafter is now history.
Marak’s farm produces at least 20 tonnes of pepper and more than 250 bags of areca nut every year. He also has a pineapple farm and has started a coffee plantation on the insistence of his friend as a pilot project. He expects his labour to bear fruit soon.
The Padma Shri awardee stated that he began his farm in 1986 with just a few plants and saplings. He has continued to labour on it ever since.
“Everything that we have built till now, including my house, my children’s education, their needs and wants, have all come from the fruits of this farm,” he stated matter-of-factly.
Though uneducated, he has done his bit in ensuring his children did not go through the same troubles he did. While one son is in college and sometimes helps when he is back home on the farm, the elder one is a teacher and lives in his wife’s house, as is tradition.
His wife, Irolia Pretty A Sangma, he explained, deserves as much of the plaudits for she works equally hard on the farm.
Marak and his wife, who have been married since 1987, wake up at 4 am every day before heading to take care of the farm at 6 am.
Pepper cultivation has been their main source of income, though, with the increase in cultivation in the country, the prices have seen a downturn from the highs of 2015-16 when prices were Rs 600 per kilo for processed pepper.
“We only deal with raw pepper that is harvested by skilled labour. This is then sent to the wholesalers in nearby Chibinang, Rongsai and Agia where it is processed. Currently the rate for raw pepper is low but it was high a few years ago,” said Marak.
When asked as to why he did not process the raw pepper himself, the farmer cited the lack of labour and space. Marak already employs about 100 people on his farm to maintain as well as pluck the pepper seeds. While the labour is of a temporary nature, it still helps a lot of families get by.
On his national award, the 60-year-old said that he received quite a lot of happiness from the fact that his work was being recognized. However, it is only he and his wife who deserve the glory, for there was no help forthcoming from any department of the state, something that most farmers – small or big – have been unanimous about.
“We faced it all alone and there was nothing forthcoming. There was nothing from Horticulture or any other department. I hope there are changes to the attitude towards farmers as we are an agrarian society and most of us struggle with knowledge of ‘how to’,” he lamented.
His friend, Ringrang, added that, together, they had been trying to spread the best practices in pepper production to many others.
“His work will inspire many young men to also work in the agrarian sector. Though the work may be hard initially, the rewards in the long run continue for years. A tree will never stop giving back to you even if people do,” said Ringrang while encouraging others to join farming.
Marak’s win as well as the scope of his farming-related activities have already inspired many from his village to come forward to bring more such stories of success.
A programme to honour his achievements is expected to be held at Rongram, near Tura, on February 12.
