AB BUREAU, GUWAHATI
The year 1992. A quiet boy had done his parents and those around proud. His name had figured among the handful of aspirants who had passed the Joint Admission Test. But Manoj Kumar Basumatary had other ideas. He wanted to be in Delhi. To be more precise: St Stephens College. From there, UPSC. He realised part of it, though. He graduated from St Stephens in Mathematics, and enrolled himself in the Campus Law Centre. However, by 1997, he was on the hunt for a job to take care of his family and fulfil a responsibility. He cleared the probationary officer examinations of three banks, and joined the Union Bank of India and after 10 months switched over to the State Bank of India.
But he had his calling elsewhere. In 2013, he resigned. The scent of his native Dekhidol Village in Ghoramari of Sonitpur district was too powerful for him to ignore. It brought him back to Assam. As they say, he has never looked back since.
He decided to plunge himself to prop up the rural economy of Assam through agriculture. By now, he had seen enough of the world to know how to do so. He met his brother’s friend, Khanindra Kalita, who suggested that he rear pigs to impart meaning to his second essay in life. A diligent Manoj begun researching the sector. In 2014, with 25 sows and two pigs, he started his piggery along with Khanindra. In the same year, he accompanied his banker’s wife to Belgium where he delved into the European model of piggery. The next year, he went to The Netherlands to inspect a farm. “It changed my perspective towards piggery,” he told Asom Barta.
Manoj and Khanindra consolidated their acquaintance to partnership of sorts by registering Symbiotic Foods Pvt Ltd in 2016. Their company is now a name to reckon with. They kicked off their business by selling piglets and later branched out into selling breeding stock, live fattener, feed, etc. Besides, the duo also facilitated vaccines and other necessities for pig rearers in nearby areas.
The Covid-induced lockdown enabled Symbiotics to launch a meat brand called “Slice of Gahori”. Their company’s turnover in fiscal 2021-22 was ₹ 3 crore. The company is currently valued at ₹ 15 crore, he claimed. “We are now working on artificial insemination. Besides, we are keen to export our product,” he told Asom Barta.
“The definition of success is subjective. In my case, I draw satisfaction by seeing young faces gainfully employed, although there are areas where I want to achieve more,” he said.
His firm has directly or indirectly given sustenance to over hundred individuals in and around the area. Junmoni Barua, an employee of his retail outlet in Dekargaon, said, “Sir has given many like me an opportunity to be self-reliant and make our lives meaningful.”
Pari Barman Saikia, an entrepreneur of Dhalaibill in Sonitpur, reached out to Manoj in 2020 for training to start her piggery farm. She is among 1,500 or more individuals who had since 2017 benefited from the training programme which Symbiotic Foods organises for the youths of the North Eastern region. “This was an altogether new area for me. However, he imparted to us, in a scientific way, the intricacies of good rearing and piggery. Even his medical team helped us understand vulnerability of piggery farms. They are ever ready to help us whenever needed,” she said.
David Basumatary of Dhekiajuli and Raja Dutta of Sivasagar are among two success stories which Manoj can be proud of besides the achievement of Pari.
Manoj has also been able to utilise his banking connections to ink an MoU with the State Bank of India. The MoU has helped 50 farmers of the district to avail loans, required training, technology and know-how to start on their own besides a buy-back guarantee clause with his company.
Traditional or backyard piggery never allowed the growth of a formal sector in the State, but Manoj seems determined to change this ecosystem. His confidence stems from the success that he has accumulated hitherto. The Government of Assam has also recognised his efforts. No wonder, he is Asom Gaurav for the people of the State.
