Tag: Aloe Vera

Raja Ram Jakhar

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The Futuristic Farmer of Rajasthan Bringing Changing Tides in Conventional Farming Trend with Aloe Vera Farming

Even today also Rajasthan is known for its conventional farming methods, and the main crops that are grown there are Bajara, Guar, and Sorghum. Many farmers are progressing but still, many farmers are there who just don’t want to come out of their stereotypical conventional farming trend. One such a person who is trying to do something out of the box and bring a changing tide in agriculture field is Raja Ram Jakhar.

Born and brought up on the land of Rajasthan, Raja Ram Jakhar is a B.Sc. Agriculture Graduate who left his government job just to pursue his passion towards farming. He learned to take advantage of the opportunity and gain profit from it. And today he is a successful aloe-vera farmer in Rajasthan, who is not dependent on anyone for marketing because his produce is sold to the consumers from his farm only.

Rajaram Jakhar’s family was associated with agriculture from the beginning. And all his childhood, he had seen all his family members doing farming only. But after completing his B.Sc. Agriculture degree from the DAV College of Sangaria, Rajasthan in 1980, he got a chance to pursue a different profession (Supervisor at Central State Farm, Suratgarh). However, he wasn’t able to work there more than 3-4 months, because it doesn’t interest him and he chose to come back and continue his ancestral occupation, farming.

He started farming in the same way his ancestors were doing and there was no major profit that he achieved. Slowly it was getting difficult for him to manage his family livelihood, they were just living from hand to mouth. But then he heard about Patanjali brand and its aloe vera products, and to manufacture those products Patanjali needs aloe-vera produce in bulk. So he took advantage of this opportunity and started aloe-vera farming by making minimum Rs. 15000 of investment in 1 bigha of variety “Babie Densis”.

During all this, once his family also went against his decision of aloe-vera farming, because they were unsure of what he was doing, and at that time he was the first one to start aloe-vera farming in his area (Ganganagar District). But he never changed his mind, because he was confident of himself. After one year, when finally aloe-vera plants were ready, few buyers contacted him for buying his produce, and since then he is selling his produce without making any extra effort from his farm only and is earning 1 Lakh from 1 Bigha in 1 Year.

As there are many factories in Rajasthan for Aloe-Vera processing, so every after 50 days two trucks are sent to his farm by the buyers to purchase his produce and he just has to load the produce in the truck with the help of the workers. Now he has started inter-cropping and has planted moringa tree in the aloe-vera field to take advantage in a better way.

Currently, he is living happily with his family (wife, three daughters and one son) and is managing the whole farm on his own. He has one tube well and tractor for framing. He strictly follows organic farming in his farm for aloe-vera, moringa, and cotton. Along with aloe-vera, moringa and cotton he has also planted vegetables like okra, ridge gourd, cucumber, bottle gourd, guar beans and other seasonal vegetables for home use.

Rajaram Jakhar chose Moringa for inter-cropping because of its medicinal properties and it is easy to grow with little care. Now he has also started selling plants and giving free training to farmers who want to start aloe-vera farming. Rajaram Jakhar with his futuristic views is trying to bring a new revolution in the agriculture field. Till now he has taken no help from government or any other source, he has done everything on his own. His upcoming plans are to expand his work and make more farmers aware to start aloe-vera farming.

MESSAGE TO FARMERS
“Before starting any new thing, a farmer should search the market first and then start farming. There are many opportunities from which farmers can take advantage and they should never miss that.”

Gurpreet Shergill

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Man Bringing Flower-Farming Renaissance in Punjab

In the recent years, floriculture has emerged as a rising agri-business in India and 20% annual growth in exports has been observed in the floriculture industry. This is a good insignia representing the development of agri-sector in India which is only possible due to the contribution of some hardworking revolutionary countrymen.

1996 was the year when the man behind the Punjab Flower Farming Renaissance- Gurpreet Singh Shergill, took his first step towards floriculture, and today he is well-recognized floriculturist associated with many prestigious government bodies.

Gurpreet Singh Shergill – “After completing my degree in 1993 in Mechanical Engineering, I was confused about my career choice. I always wanted to do a work which makes me happy and gives me recognition, not that work which gives my worldly pleasures.”

Gurpreet Singh Shergill chose the farming field and along with that he also started dairy farming as his full-time profession. He never felt satisfied with his work, which made him work harder and think deeper. That was when he realized that he is not here to fall into the trap of wheat-paddy cycle and it took 3 years to understand this. Flowers always fascinated him, so with the expert advice of his father – Baldev Singh Shergill and support of his brother – Karanjit Singh Shergill, he decided to give floriculture a try. Marigold was the first successful yield that he got in that season.

After that nothing stopped him from achieving what he wanted…One main person to whom Gurpreet Singh Shergill gives the major credit, apart from father and brother is his wife, she is the main supporting pillar throughout his farming venture.

Marigold harvest was followed by Gladiolus, Gulzafri, Rose, Statice and Gypsophila harvests. This is how he turned into someone from a regular farmer.

Some stats about his foreign trips

In 2002, his quest for knowledge and know-how, took him Holland, where he attended Floriade (International Flower Exhibition organized after every 10 years).

He also visited world’s largest auction centre for fresh flowers in Aalsmeer, Holland.

In 2003, he also attended World Rose Convention in Glasgow, UK.

How he diversified his farming activities…

With his flourishing floriculture work, he established Vermicompost plant and added fishery in his farming practices.

Vermicompost plant is supporting him dually- he is using the compost in his field as well also selling it in the market.

He has also created his product line which includes Rose Water, Rose Sharbat, Aloe-Vera and Amla Juice. Compost and Rosewater are sold under the brand name “Balson”, and Rose Sharbat, Aloe Vera and Amla Juice under the brand name of “Shergill Farm Fresh”.

With his sheer hard work and dedication, he transformed his passion for agriculture into a successful business.

Many agriculture-related government bodies soon recognized his efforts and awarded him with multiple awards… some of the prominent awards are:

• Punjab Chief Minister Award, 2011 by PAU, Ludhiana

• Jagjivan Ram Innovative Farmer Award, 2012 by ICAR, New Delhi

• N.G. Ranga Farmer Award, 2014 by ICAR, New Delhi

• Innovative Farmer Award, 2015 by IARI, New Delhi

• Nominated for Member of National Advisory Panel (NAP) for Farmer’s FIRST Programme, 2016 by IARI, New Delhi

Even after, accomplishing so much, Gurpreet Singh Shergill never brags about his achievements. He is a very clear-head person who always seeks different information sources to grab knowledge and relate it to his farming practices. In the pastime, he likes to read agriculture magazines like Modern Kheti, Floriculture Today, Kheti Dunia etc. He is also an active participant in agriculture fairs and events. He believes in sharing the knowledge and he never let down any farmer who come for help. To help the farmer community, he is playing a major role as an Apni Kheti expert by contributing his knowledge.

Gurpreet Shergill has shown that if one is dedicated and hardworking, one can achieve success. And in today’s time when farmers are reeling with losses and debts and committing suicides, he stands as a torchbearer for the entire agricultural community by demonstrating that diversification is the need of the hour as well as the path to a better future for the agricultural community.

To know more about his diversified agriculture business visit his website.

Navroop Singh

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Journey of an Engineer Turned Farmer,  Reaping Food Out Of Desert by Keeping Harmony with Nature

“With wrong farming methods, we turn fertile land into desert. Unless we go back to organic farming and save the soil, there is no future.” – Jaggi Vasudev

The soil is a wealth of living beings, and out of all the living beings, only human is capable of making changes or affecting the most precious asset of nature.

Very true said by Jaggi Vasudev that by practicing wrong farming method we are turning our fertile land into desert. But here we are going to share the story of a man- Navroop Singh Gill, who is reaping food naturally out of the desert to make soil more fertile and natural resources less poisonous.

Farming is a pursuit with which human race is blessed, and practicing it in harmony with nature can bring the treasure of wellness to the people. Navroop Singh Gill understood this fact very well, long ago and for the betterment of people and Mother Nature he decided to turn towards natural farming.

Navroop Singh Gill was doing pretty well in abroad, but then one day he decided to come back to India and help his elder brother Navdeep Singh Gill in his farming venture. Soon as he started connecting himself with the real-life issues, a sudden wave of determination and spiritual enlightenment struck him and transformed him into a new individual.

“My family was not into the farming field from the beginning. My father- Kamaljeet Singh Gill, was a businessman and he owned cotton spinning and weaving mill till 1998, but due to some financial losses and circumstantial conditions he has to shut down his mill. At that time we never thought that this unfortunate ending will lead us to a beautiful beginning…Later my father started farming (conventionally) and my elder brother also joined him after completing his studies. I joined them in 2010. ”

Earlier, Navdeep Singh Gill was doing natural farming, but not on large scale. With the support of younger brother (Navroop Singh), Navdeep expanded the farming horizon step by step. Every penny saved was a step towards expanding the natural farming practices.

Another field towards which Navroop Singh Gill was allured was dairy farming, it was his love for cows, because of which he started rearing cattle also. He started dairy farming with few cows in the beginning and slowly increased the number of animals in the farm.

In 2013, the idea of “Thar Naturals” came into the mind of both brothers, and then they decided to do everything naturally – from land preparation to harvesting. As a result, crop yield increased and it was far much better as compared to other farmers using chemicals and pesticides in their fields. Steadily Thar Natural became a renowned brand and Gill brothers added more crops in their product list.

It was Navroop Singh’s positivism and family support which turned the way of Gill family’s descending sun into rising one…

…and it was Navroop Singh Gill and his family’s effort which made their natural farming initiative recognized and honoured by Krishak Samman Puraskar in 2015.

Gill family was also nominated for 2016 – Krishak Samman Puraskar award.

In 2016, third and the youngest son (Ramandeep Singh Gill) of the Kamaljeet Singh Gill decided to come back from abroad and join his brother and this how the trinity was completed.

Navroop Singh Gill- “THAR NATURALS is a vision of Gill Family to promote natural farming on a large scale and make aware other farmers of Rajasthan and other states that high yield and quality can be easily be achieved through natural farming. And Thar Naturals would never have been possible without the whole family effort.”

Today, THAR NATURALS is producing different varieties of cereals, pulses, millet, fruits, and vegetables; basically, it can be classified into four categories, namely, Agriculture, Fertilizers, Dairy and Horticulture. They are also processing some crops like Green Mung Beans, Bengal gram, Fenugreek Seeds, Chickpeas, Aloe Vera, Flax Seeds, and Canola Oil. Some of their featured products to promote natural farming which they also use in their farms are Jeev Amrit, JIYAN, and Vermicompost. They also have dairy products like milk and desi ghee (clarified butter) of Sahiwal cow for selling purpose.

Currently, Navroop Singh Gill is residing with his family in 58-RB Village in Rai Singh Tehsil of Sri Ganganagar District in Rajasthan. Mrs. Sandeep Kaur Gill (w/o Navdeep Singh), Mrs. Gurpreet Kaur Gill (w/o Navroop Singh) and Mrs. Ramandeep Kaur Gill (w/o Ramandeep Singh) are the hidden supportive members behind Thar Natural and they perform the role of main functionary of the house.

FARM STATS
Farming Technique: Mulching for water management
Implements: Have all the necessary farming machinery like tractor, trolley, harrow, and disc.
Crops: Guar, Pearl Millet, Mung Beans, Bengal grams, Chickpeas, Fenugreek, Flax-seeds
Horticulture Crops: Kinnow, Seasonal Vegetables, Canola

Dairy Farming: Gill Family have more than 100 cows of Sahiwal Breed in their farm. Navroop Singh himself take care of them with the help of few workers.


Message
“Natural farming is the only key to success for farmers in long run.”

Navroop Singh Gill is a prime example for the young farmers who want to see themselves successful in the future in the field of agriculture. Thar Naturals is an idle case of how natural farming is equally profitable as compared to farming done by using genetically modified seeds and chemicals.