Tag: Bathinda

Balwinder Kaur

Read Full Story

Story of a women, who is doing great with her talent

“After marriage, every women is to take care of her household”, this is the thinking of our society. But a women is the one, who can do anything to solve the critical conditions of her family.

This is a story of a woman, Balwinder Kaur, who belongs to a middle class family and her qualification is in M.A (Punjabi). After completion of her studies, she got married to Mr. Gurwinder Singh, who was working in a private company. Due to some reasons, he gave resign to his job and this led to poor financial conditions of the family. For improving the financial conditions of her family, Mrs. Balwinder Kaur decided to offer a helping hand to her husband, and he also supported Balwinder in this decision. As it is rightly said, If your better-half walks along with you every obstacle becomes easier to handle and with her husbands’ support, she started a PG(Paying Guest) in the house. The work flourished in the starting, but later on she decided to shut it down because earning was very less. Then she thought of opening a boutique but again dropped the idea of same. In 2008-09, she did a course of beautician but she was not interested in this so she never thought of taking over it in her career.

From the very beginning, my interest was in cooking. All my relatives and friends knew that I am a very good cook, that’s why they always appreciate my cooking skills. Finally, I thought of opting this hobby as my career. – Balwinder Kaur

Pickle prepared by Balwinder Kaur is all time in demand from her relatives because of its deliciousness.

For polishing her talent, Balwinder Kaur got a training of making pickles and chutneys from Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology Liaison office, Bathinda. There she met Dr. Gurpreet Kaur Dhillon, who guided her and encouraged her to expand her work.

Now-a-days, people are having health issues due to consuming adulterated food from outside. So I thought of serving people by making pure home made food products. – Balwinder Kaur

As she knew the importance of marketing and labelling in any business, so with the help of Dr. Satwinder Kaur and Harinder Kaur, she got the training in packing and labelling of the products.

After getting the training in Squash manufacturing from KVK, Bathinda, she started her work at home. She made a Self Help Group (SHG) in which there were 12 women. These women helped her in cutting the material and in packing of the prepared products.

This SHG helps me in my work and also it provides employment to other women which gives me a huge satisfaction. – Balwinder Kaur
The training was the key to sharpen the inborn skills of Balwinder.

Products prepared by Balwinder Kaur:
  • Pickle- Mix, Sweet, Salty, Amla
  • Chutney- Amla, Tomato, Apple, Lemon, Bottle-gourd, Mango
  • Squash- Mango, Guava
  • Sharbat- Apple, Litchi, Rose, Mix
We sell our products in the village only and outside the village we deliver them free of cost. – Balwinder Kaur
Balwinder Kaur manufacture and sell her products under her Brand name “Zebra Smart Food” She has also made a whatsapp group (7589827287), where she directly take orders from the customers and deliver to them.

Future Plans:
She want to sell her products worldwide so that people should come to know the taste and quality of her self-made products.

Message:
“We should use organically prepared products only that will help us and our children to remain fit and healthy.
Those women who want to do something, must come forward with their ideas. They should not waste their time in thinking at home. Not only cooking, whatever their passion is. They should make efforts to fulfill their dreams. Have faith in God and keep working hard.”

Amarnath Singh

READ FULL STORY

How organic farming left a positive impact on the life of Amarnath Singh and is cheering him to never stop!

The desire to eat healthy and live chemical free life is leading many farmers towards organic farming. One such farmer, Amarnath Singh from Bathinda has also turned towards organic farming and is successfully reaping profit out of his farm.

Before stepping into the agriculture field, Amarnath was an ICICI life adviser for 5 years (2005-2010), and the land which comes from ancestors in inheritance to him was given on rent to other farmers earlier. Well, this is not the only background story of this land. Everything was going smooth, his father – Nirbhai Singh used to cultivate the land until 1984. In 1984 conditions got worse and matters got escalated in many regions of Punjab. At that time Amarnath’s father decided to leave Rampura Phul – a city in Bathinda district, and they shifted to Tapa Mandi – a town in Barnala district and also the maternal home of Amarnath’s father.

Nirbhai Singh was very attached to his land, so even after leaving the Rampura Phul, he used to daily visit his farm from Tapa Mandi. But, one day, when Nirbhai Singh was coming back from his farm, he met with an accident and he died (2000). Since then, Amarnath has been taking care of that land and other family responsibilities.In 2010, income source from the rented land reduced, as he got no fair deal that could offer him the land’s right price. So, he decided to switch to farming. Moreover, in 2007 one of his friends, Nirmal Singh Ghootna told him about many progressive farmers in the field of organic, in case if he thinks of switching to farming.

Rajiv Dixit is the person who inspired Amarnath Singh towards farming. To get more help Amarnath also joined Kheti Virasat Mission in 2012 and started attending their camps from where he extracted the most knowledgeable information required for farming.

Cotton & Paddy were the first commercial crops reaped by Amarnath Singh and some veggies for home purpose too. In 2012. He grew Kharif crop Guar in 11 acres from which he didn’t earn much profit, but income was enough to satisfy his home and other farming expenditures. Gradually with the time, Amarnath reduced pesticides use and in 2013 he completely stopped it. In 2015, he also started reducing fertilizer in his fields. Out of total land (36 acres), he is doing farming on 26 acres and has given rest of the land on rent.

Amarnath – I can myself feel the positive change in me and my family’s life after boycotting the use of fertilizer and pesticides.

Eventually, Amarnath decided to shift to his native village in 2017 and today he is leading a happy life with his family. He has named the farm on the name of his father – Nirbhai Farm so that he could be remembered always through it.

To promote organic farming, Amarnath himself prepares decomposer and natural pesticides at home and also distribute it among the farmers free of cost. Today, whatever Amarnath Singh has achieved, it’s all because of his own hard work and determination.

Future Plan:
In the coming time, I am planning to encourage my children towards adopting farming. I want them to stand by me and help me in the fields.

Message
My message is for the younger generation, nowadays younger generation is very much influenced by the social media sites and apps like Facebook, Instagram, and Whats App, so they should take useful information related to agriculture from it, instead of wasting time.

Gurdeep Singh Brar

Read Full Story

A MAN’S AWAKENING TRANSITION: FROM CONVENTIONAL FARMING TO ORGANIC FARMING

The main reason behind people’s awakening is because they have finally stopped agreeing to the things that doesn’t satisfy them. It is said that when a person is evolving into something good, at that time the road may seem lonely but you are simply shedding the things and habits that no longer is required. One such person who went opposite of the society’s trend and gone through an awakening transition of conventional to organic farming is Mr Gurdeep Singh Brar.

Gurdeep Singh Brar is a resident of village Mehma Sawai , District Bathinda. 17 years back a huge transition phase came into Mr Gurdeep’s life which totally changed his views and methods of farming. Today, Mr Singh is a successful and well known organic farmer in Bathinda. And his earning is also very good as compared to the other farmers who are practicing conventional farming.

Before doing organic farming, Gurdeep Singh Brar was an ordinary farmer who used to do the same thing that he saw while growing up all his childhood. He had only 2 acres of land on which he was farming and his income was only hand to mouth.

In 1995 he came in contact with the experts of Farmer Salahkar Seva Kendra. There he discussed all his farming related doubts with them and found out all the solutions and answers of it. He also get associated with the experts of KVK Bathinda branch. After sometime the experts of Farmer Salahkar Kendra motivated him to make a small kitchen garden in 1 canal of area by providing him a vegetable seed kit. When the kitchen garden idea went successful then he expanded the 1 canal area to 2 canal and started generating good produce of vegetables out of it.

In 1999, just after 4 years he came in touch with Ambuja Cement Foundation, he co-operated with them and visited many different farms…

Some of them are:
• Nabha Organic Farm
• Bhagat Puran Singh farm in Ganga Nagar.
• Organic Farm

This whole series of visit to different farms inspired him towards organic farming. And after that he also started growing seasonal fruits along with vegetables. He uses organic method for seed treatment, traps for pest control and also prepare organic manure. For seed treatment he uses Neem Water, Cow Urine (Gau Mutr), mixture of Lime Stone Water and Asafetida water mixture. He also uses Jivamrit (made by him at home) to make vegetable yield more healthy and chemical free. For pest attack prevention he uses sour buttermilk (Lassi made by him) in his fields. He is also very conscious towards the water management so for irrigation he uses drip irrigation system.

Gurdeep Singh has also established a vermi-compost unit at his farm so that he can provide pure organic manure to the vegetables and fruits. He has made two holes of 1 canal each, where he decomposes cow dung, buffalo dung, and poultry manure.

Along with farming he also prepares seed of pumpkin, bitter gourd and ridge gourd himself at home, which completely end his need of buying vegetable seeds from the market. To increase the quantity and quality if the pumpkin, he especially uses rope mesh to give pumpkin vines proper support.

Today his vegetable are so popular that people from Bathinda, Goniana Mandi and other nearby villages visit his farm especially to buy vegetables. When it comes to marketing the vegetables, then he is never dependent on any third person. He himself sell his produce by making 500 grams of packets and in current date he is earning good profit out of it.

For his farming techniques and methods he is awarded with many local awards and he also has membership of many farming societies and organization. In 2015, he received Surjit Singh Dhillon Award from PAU. Reaching up to this level for a man who never went to school, is really considerable. Currently he is living with his mother, wife and son in his village. His future plans is to continue organic farming and provide health and chemical free food to the community.

Message Given To Farmers:
“
 Today cancer like disease is spreading among the people is because of chemicals being used by the farmers. I’m not saying that farmers shouldn’t use fertilizer and pesticide, but they should reduce its use and switch to organic farming. In this way they can stop the soil and water pollution and can also prevent cancer like deadly diseases.
”
These are some of his inventions
pic1_en

Amrik Singh Dhillon

Read Full Story

Know how the tricks of this smart farmer are proved beneficial in farming

It is said that often needs and compulsions take people towards new inventions and likewise new discoveries are possible.

Today we are going to talk about one such person, who understood the basic necessity and needs and invented useful things by applying his new-new hacks and tricks- Amrik Singh Dhillon.

Amrik Singh Dhillon is a residence of village Giyana, Tehsil Talwandi (Bathinda). His father (Sardar Molan Singh) inherited the occupation of farming from his ancestors and after seeing him, Amrik Singh also started showing interest in farming. They have a total of 14 acres of land on which they do conventional farming.

As he was interested in farming from his childhood, so in 2000 he quit his studies after completing his 10th and decided to help his father in farming. Along with that he also started working on his friend’s mobile repair shop in his free time. But after some time he realized that education till 12th is necessary because it’s a primary education that everyone should must attend and it also helps the person to gain confidence. So, he completed the education till 12th from private school.

From childhood, he used to find a different, easy and efficient way to do all the work, because of this reason the villagers use to call him “JUGADU”. He used this same skill again after growing up as an adult with his friends and made a lot of beneficial tools for the farmers. (Jugadu- a person who finds low-cost solution to any problem in an intelligent way).

The process of making the tool started at that time when one day he was sitting in a mobile repair shop with his friend and suddenly an idea pop up in his mind of making a tool to protect motorcycle from being stolen. In a few days, he created a device by applying his gimmick that does not allow a motorcycle to move even after breaking the lock or using a fake key, and along with that it also gives a ring on the phone of the bikes owner. The success of this device inspired him more.

He continued his work even further. When he heard the news about theft of transformer, then an idea suddenly came into his mind and he thought that like motorcycle he can also make a device which will protect transformer from being stolen. And at last he succeeded in this initiative also, which gave a great relief to the farmers.

In his area, there are frequent power cuts and many times people are not even aware when power is back. After understanding this problem, he again used his smart brain and prepared a device, which calls on the phone when power is back.

Farmers are appreciating and liking the equipment very much and because of their affordable cost many farmers are also purchasing it for their own use.

According to him, he don’t make any plans before making any equipment, but equipment are needed according to the requirement, and he is working on it and in future also he will continue to make such tools to meet the need of the common people.

Shahnaz Qureshi

Read Full Story

Woman Revealing the Mysteries of Healthy Food through Food Processing and Agribusiness

There are very few compassionate people who like to think for the welfare of the society and direct their future on the path of agriculture because making profit from the path related to agriculture it is not that easy. But there are many opportunities in our surrounding, that we just have to learn to seize it. One such woman who came with her innovative dreams and thinking to devote her life to the field of agriculture and agribusiness is Mrs. Shahnaz Qureshi.

Despite getting married at a very young age, Shahnaz Qureshi never stopped dreaming. After marriage, she continued her studies and completed her graduation and also did M. Sc. in fashion designing. She got many job offers from abroad but she chose to stay in her country and do something good for her society.

During all this time, one of the instance that changed her perception towards the food quality and her future plans was her parent’s health. Both, her mother and father were suffering from common health issues like arthritis, diabetes and kidney problem. She thought that if food is the reason behind problems, then food will be the only cure. She changed the food habits of her family and started eating only good and fresh things. This habit made a huge difference in the health of her father and mother. Just after seeing huge improvement she decided of entering the food processing business. Moreover, sitting idly was not what she was made for, so she chose to step in the field of agribusiness and help unprivileged farmers.

Her decision of stepping in the field of agribusiness was just the first step of success and rest the whole Bathinda knows about her. She and her family took training from KVK Bathinda in beekeeping and started beekeeping business with 200 honey bee boxes. She did the marketing and her husband did the processing part. To take more advantage of this business she also started making face wash, soap, and body scrub of honey. Customers start liking it and approached her for more. After some time she also took training in vegetable/fruit farming and food processing and started implementing it by making chutney, murraba, and pickles.

There was also a time when even her husband criticized her for the work she was doing, because he was unsure about the business profit, moreover he also thought that these products are already available in the market, then why people are going to buy these things from them. But she never got demotivated, because her children’s support was always with her. Some great personalities who always inspired her are APJ Abdul Kalam, Bill Gates, Akbar and Swami Vivekananda. In free time she loves to read books about them.

With the time she increased her collection of products and started gaining good profit from it. And soon she also started making fruit squashes, gram flour badiyaan and pakode and many other things. Sprouted fenugreek pickle is one of her popular products which is always in demand because of its amazing health benefits in most of the fairs and events organized by PAU in Faridkot, Ludhiana, and other places. She made a different place for her products in the market and gained a huge loyal customer base.

In 2014 she made a farmer self-help group in Mehma Sarja village near Bathinda and through this group she promoted other farmer’s products. Sometimes she even overlooked her profits just to help and support farmers who lacked confidence and resources. In 2015 she made a firm by the name FRESH HUB and there she started selling her products. Today, she has total 40-45 products in the collection, which she buys, process, pack and market herself. She is making all these efforts just to ensure the purity and healthiness of the products so that there will be no side-effects on the customer’s health. Even when she prepare pickles, she never uses cheap vinegar and always uses apple vinegar to ensure the best quality.

In 2016 she also took vinegar training and very soon she will be implementing that too. Currently, she is making 10 lakh profit annually. One thing that she understood very early and implemented was to deliver always the quality, not the quantity or just the taste. For marketing, she is using the latest technology like Whats App to connect with the farmers and other necessary details. Before purchasing, she always makes sure that she purchases chemical free vegetables and also encourages farmers to start organic farming. Her work not only includes processing and marketing the products, but she also provides free information about her technique to other women, because she wants other people to progress and do something good for the community.

From the beginning, Shahnaz Qureshi’s mindset was very clear towards her work. She wants everyone in the society to be independent and confident. She has given her children an upbringing that they don’t have to spread their hands in front of anyone, they should be self-sufficient to fulfil their basic needs themselves. Today her main focus is towards the youth especially the girls. To make her thinking and skills reach more people, she has also given training and information through TV, newspaper, and radio. She personally visits the farmer training events and meetings to especially impart her skills to them. In 2016 she also started tiffin service for college students. Today, her work has made her so popular that she has her own radio show that is aired every Friday from 1 PM to 2 PM, where she gives tips to people about water management, health food recipes and much more.

As being a Kashmiri by birth, Shahnaz always tries to bring an essence of her native place in her work and products. She has opened a restaurant in Bathinda by the name “Shah’s Kashmiri and Mughlai Chicken” and is also planning to give a rustic Kashmiri interior and use Kashmiri crockery set in her restaurant, even she also has a popular product known as Kashmiri Kahwa (Tea) which reflects the core of Kashmiri tradition and cuisine. She wants to share every healthy, beneficial and traditional recipe that she knows through her products, restaurants, and training. She also has orchards in Kashmir, which is under the care of her cousin in her absence. In orchards she follows organic ways to nurture it, to maintain the soil fertility and get a good yield from it.

These are just a few achievements of Shahnaz Qureshi, in the coming future, she will accomplish more to work in the interest of the society. Her efforts are admired by many organizations and she was awarded by the food processing department of Muktsar Sahib. Other than that in 2015 she was also awarded Jagbir Kaur Memorial award by PAU.

MESSAGE TO FARMERS
“
Don’t blame the government all the time. Because the problems which we are facing today, for that only we are responsible. Nowadays farmers are not aware how to take advantage of the opportunities. Because if farmers want to move ahead then they have to change their thinking. Moreover, it is not necessary to follow, you can be the inspiration for others. Farmers have to understand that food processing has more money than raw material.
”

Rajinder Pal Singh

Read Full Story

Story of a Man Who Learned From His Mistakes and Turned Towards the Wisest Pursuit: Organic Farming

Mother Nature is one of our greatest teachers and she never stopped from the earliest times in teaching us what we need to know. Today we are living on Earth in a way as if we had another one to go to. We are not aware that how we are disturbing the nature’s balance and how it can affect us in reverse. Nowadays, we are seeing many cases of diseases, abnormalities, and deficiencies, in humans and animals, but still, most of the people are not able to identify the slips, they are just sitting with the blindfolds as if nothing is going on. But there are still few people, who have learned from their mistakes and are trying to bring a change in the society.

It is said that mistakes have the power to turn you into something better than you were before. And one such person who turned his path towards something better is Rajinder Pal Singh and today he is a successful personality in the field of organic farming. His products are not only praised and have high demand in Punjab, but also in America, Canada and even the royal family of London is also aware of it.

Well, there is always a story behind a successful journey. Rajinder Pal Singh a resident of Kalalwala Village of District- Bathinda, was once a farmer who used to do conventional farming, but after facing the adverse effects of chemicals and pesticides himself, he realized that, with which intensity he is affecting his environment and his health by using the chemicals. He used to spray pesticides on his crops, but one day, that spray affected his nervous system and same was the case with one of his relatives. From that day he decided to quit the use of chemicals and adopt natural ways for farming.

In the beginning, he and his uncle started organic farming on 4 acres of land and slowly expanded the area. In 2001, he bought rose saplings from Uttar Pradesh and since then he is doing rose farming also along with cultivating other crops. He has taken no training for organic farming. His uncle helped him in organic farming by gathering all information from the books. Currently, he is living in a joint family, with his wife, children, uncles, aunts, and cousins, and he gives all the credit of his success to his family for their endless support.

He was the first farmer in Malwa region of Bathinda who chose organic farming over conventional farming. When he started organic farming, at that time, he faced many difficulties and many people discouraged him also by saying that he is just wasting money, but today his products are sold in advance booking. And he is also the first farmer of Punjab who gifted Rose Oil made by him on his farm to Prince Charles and his wife in 2010 in an event in Fatehgarh Sahib.

The title of “King of Flowers” is also given to him for the work he is doing. He has the best variety of rose called Damascus and you can smell the fragrance of roses by standing at a far distance from his rose fields which is spread over 6 acres of land. He has also set up an oil extraction project on his own farm where he makes rose oil by using his farm roses. Other than rose farming he is also growing Green Grams, Lentil, Maize, Soy Bean, Peanut, Bengal Gram, Wheat, Basmati, Chick Pea, Guar and other seasonal vegetables. In 12 acres he grows basmati and in the rest of the land, he grows other above-mentioned crops.

The roses which Rajinder Pal Singh is farming blooms once in a year in December and its harvesting is completed till the month of March and April. From one acre of land he is growing 12 to 18 quintals of roses and today his annual profit from one acre of rose farming land is 1.25 Lakhs. His products demand come from America, Canada, and other countries. Even the rose oil made by him is purchased at a good price in advance by the exporters, just because he makes it from pure organic roses. In the off-season, he grows other varieties of roses and make Gulkand from it and sell it in the nearby grocery stores. Other than rose oil, rose water, and gulkand, he also sells organic lentils, wheat, maize, rice and other crops that he grows. All the products made by him are sold under his brand name Bhakar Organic Farm.

Today, Rajinder Pal Singh is very much satisfied with organic farming. Yes, he is getting low yield but the price of his products is just two times than the price of other crops grown using conventional farming. He only uses cow dung manure and river water in his fields and does not buy any type of manure or compost from the market. By doing organic farming he is also able to maintain the nutrient and fertility level of the soil. In the beginning, he faced a little problem in marketing his products but as soon the people recognized the quality level of his products, he started gaining momentum in his work. And he is also facing very fewer diseases in his crops by doing organic farming.

Now coming to his awards and achievements- He is appreciated by the Central Government under the ATMA SCHEME and is presented as a role model to inspire other farmers in the country. He is also a member of Bhumi Vardaan Foundation which is led by the Royal Prince of Wales, Britain, and all his products are organically certified by this foundation. He has also received Appreciation letter from Punjab Agriculture Department, Patiala and even Ex-Agriculture Minister of Punjab – Mr. Tota Singh also awarded him as a Progressive Farmer.

Future Plans:

His future plan is to continue his work in the field of organic farming and make aware more and more farmers about organic farming and inspire them to do it.

Message Given by Rajinder Pal Singh
“Today our earth need us and we as a farmer are the most responsible person in saving the earth from pollution. Yes, by doing organic farming there is less yield, but in the coming times, there will be high demand for organic products, not just because it is healthy, but also because it will become the need of the hour. Moreover, organic farming is sustainable and requires less finance, it only requires labour, and if a farmer is interested in switching to organic farming then he can do it very easily.”

 

 

“

Satvir Singh

Read Full Story

Story of a Successful Agripreneur Coming Up as a Role Model for the Other Farmers in the Society – Satvir Farms Sadhana

It is said that great things never come from the comfort zone. And if a person really wants to do something different that he has never done before, then he has to leave his comfort zone. One such a person who left his cushy lifestyle and came back to Punjab, India, and pursued his interest is Satvir Singh.

Today Mr. Satvir Singh is a successful agripreneur and is earning two times more profit than wheat and paddy and has also established his own farm by the name Satvir Farm in Sadhana. He is mainly farming and cultivating vegetables in 7 acres of land out of which 5 acres land is his own and has taken 2 acres on rent.

The path that Satvir Singh followed to reach this stage in life was not that easy. He faced many ups and downs, but still after his steady efforts and struggles he pursued his interest and achieved success in it. It all started when he completed his school (12th) and after four years he went to Dubai for a job. But after some time, he came back to India and decided to start farming and dropped his idea of going back to Dubai. In the beginning, he started farming wheat and paddy, but after a visit to a vegetable farm with one of his friends, he was very much impressed and attracted towards vegetable farming.

Almost 7 years back (in 2010) he started vegetable farming and faced many problems in the beginning. Cauliflower was the first vegetable that he grew on 1.5 acres of land on his farm and suffered a severe loss. But then also he never gave up and keep on doing vegetable farming. Slowly he expanded his vegetable farming area to 7 acres and started growing pumpkin, bottle gourd, eggplant, onion, different varieties of chillies and bitter gourd and he also started preparing seedling and selling them in the market. Gradually, his work gains momentum and he started earning good profit from it.

After facing the severe loss from the first batch of cauliflower, Mr. Satvir Singh put his efforts into vegetable farming very wisely and in a strategic way, to avoid such situations in the future. First, he understood the customer and market demand and according to that, he began with vegetable farming. He gave at least one acre of land to one type of crop and in this way, he solves his marketing problems. He also participated in PAU event in which he got a chance to visit different farms and learned about the Net House farming method and he is using it currently to give his vegetables a protective environment. He also cultivated and harvested Tatuma Summer Squash a bit earlier and made them available in the market at the right time in December, just before the stock of the same vegetable reached the market from Gujarat. In this way, he marketed his veggie produce at a good price in the market. Moreover, he goes himself to the market every time to sell his produce and is not dependent on anyone.

In winters he does vegetable farming in the whole 7 acres of land and in summers he reduces his vegetable land to 3.5 acres and uses the rest of the land for paddy and wheat. In the whole village, only his land is seen with vegetable plantings cover and the surrounding area is covered with paddy and wheat. For his efficient agricultural practices and marketing tactics, he has received four prizes from Punjab Agriculture University till date. One of his great achievements is developing a new variety of pumpkin and he named that pumpkin after his son’s name “KABIR PUMPKIN”.

Currently, he is living with his family (mother, father, wife, two children and his elder brother and his wife are settled in Singapore) in Sadhana village which is located in Rampura Phul Tehsil of Bathinda district in Punjab. His father was the main inspiration that dragged him towards farming in the beginning, but now his father no more works in the field, he only stays at home and be with the kids. Today his whole family is a big support behind his successful farming experience and he gives all the credit to his family.

Satvir Singh manages his farm with the help of only one permanent worker and sometimes hires women workers for picking the vegetables. He earns 1-2 lakhs in a season from one acre of land depending upon the vegetable price.

Future Plans
In future, he is planning to switch to organic farming and for that, he has also taken 3 days training for Vermin-compost making. He wants to make people aware of the difference between organic and non-organic vegetables and food products. He also wants that vegetables should also come in packets like the other grocery products so that people can recognize that they are buying vegetables of which farm and which brand.

MESSAGE TO FARMERS
“I have faced many problems in the beginning, only because of lack of knowledge. But other farmers who are interested in doing vegetable farming, shouldn’t follow that same mistakes that I did and should consult some experts and analyze the vegetable market before starting vegetable farming. Moreover, the farmers who have enough resources should fulfil their basic home needs themselves instead of buying them from the market.”

Yadwinder Singh

Read Full Story

This Farmer from Punjab Opted Best Alternative Over Conventional Wheat-Paddy Cycle and Is Making Double Profit from It

Where rice & wheat cultivation continues to rule in Punjab, some farmers still lack alternatives. Farmers having small land holdings and less awareness are still stuck in the conventional cycle of wheat and paddy. But this young lad- Yadwinder Singh from Chak Bakhtu village of Bathinda district has shooed away the old practices of farming with nursery preparation and organic vegetable farming.

Yadwinder Singh, a boy aspiring to fulfil his millions of dreams, completed his diploma in Hotel Management after his graduation and then placed as a reputed chef in Singapore for two years. But he was not happy with his work and he was feeling that something was missing in his life. So he came back to Punjab and very strong-mindedly he decided to enter the farming field.

In 2015 he started his organic venture but before that he acted wisely to avoid future losses. As being a nimble-witted person he took help of internet and attended farmer fairs and begin with nursery farming of organic vegetables. To promote his brand, Yadwinder also designed a logo for his business.

In the first year of his farming venture, he earned up to 1 lakh and today he is making more than 2.5 lakhs from just 2 canals (5 acres). Along with farming he also started nursery management which includes seed preparation, soil management. He even does not need to go to the market to sell the seedlings, because farmers themselves visit his farm to buy the seedlings.

Today Yadwinder Singh is very happy with his occupation and income. In future he want to expand his domain and grow some more crops to reap good profit.

Message:
“We know that government does not make enough effort to support the ordinary farmers. But farmers shouldn’t feel discouraged, because with strong determination and smart approach they can achieve what they want.”

Gurcharan Singh Mann

Read Full Story

How Gurcharan Singh Mann Getting the Most Out Of His Land through Diversification of Crops and Other Allied Activities

The trend of diversified farming is not so common in India. Wheat, rice and other traditional crops like barley are the major crops that farmers prefer to grow, unaware of the fact that conventional farming not only affects the soil fertility but also affects the farmer and sometimes also makes them vulnerable. On the other hand, diversified farming gives a boost in the farmer’s income if done properly. One such a farmer who recognized benefits of crop diversification and earned profit from it by implementing it when he was totally down and out, is Gurcharan Singh Sandhu.

Gurcharan Singh Sandhu was an ordinary farmer from Tungwali village of Bathinda district. The place from where he belongs is an arid and underdeveloped area, but these hindrances were nothing in front of his strong willpower.

In a young age, he left his studies and started farming, it’s a matter of 1992. He already had 42 acres of land, but he was never satisfied. Growing wheat and paddy was not a successful venture for him, due to the aridness of that area. After many attempts, when Gurcharan was not successful from traditional or conventional farming trend, then he decided of bringing a change in his farming methods. He adopted diversified farming trend and because of this initiative he has been chosen as the best farmer of the year by Punjab Agriculture University and has been honoured with “Parwasi Bharti Puraskar” instituted by Maninderjit Singh Sandhu, a former PAU teacher, for adopting diversification.

Today, out of 42 acres, he has orchards in 10 acres, vegetable farming in 2.5 acres, fish farm in 10 acres and banyan trees in half an acre. However, the real game changer other than diversified farming for him was beekeeping. He started with just 7 bee boxes, and today he has more than 1800 bee boxes from which the total produce is one thousand quintal of honey every year.

Mr. Gurcharan is so perfect in his work that the honey produced by him is excellent in quality and is recognized in many countries. His success in beekeeping led district administration to establish a honey processing plant in his village, and this plant is giving employment to 15 people who come under below poverty line. His beekeeping business is not only profiting him but also many other people by providing them employment.

Mr. Gurcharan has truly understood the meaning of diversification and he has implemented it not only in vegetable farming but also in his occupation. He has orchards, fish farm, dairy farm, and he is also actively involved in organic farming. From beekeeping business, he has started other allied activities such as Bee Box making and Wax Candle making.

“One thing that every farmer should get it done is soil and water check. And the second thing that farmer should understand is that if one farmer is growing potatoes than other should grow garlic, they should never chase other’s actions.”

Since beekeeping has now become his primary occupation, so he has named his farm “Mann Makhi Farm” and apart from honey he also makes jam, pickles, spices like turmeric powder and red chili powder. He markets all these products under the name of “Maan”.

Currently, his farm comes under Punjab Tourism because of its surrounding and landscape; his farm is encircled by more than 5000 species of trees and visiting there gives the real sense of being close to nature.

According to him, whatever he has achieved today is just because of PAU (Punjab Agriculture University); from the beginning, he always practiced that was recommended by the PAU Experts. To bring more professionalism in his work he also pursued the higher education and graduated in technical and scientific inventions later.

His main key to success is reducing the production cost, taking the products in the market himself and being less dependent on the government. By following these main things he is making a good profit.

He also discussed his views related to government initiative towards farming: –

“Government should pay more attention towards encouraging the modern farming techniques, availing more funds for research work, deciding the right collaboration cost for the cash crops, then only farmers can easily adopt the modern farming trends.”

Message:
“Farmers shouldn’t follow the trend that other farmers are doing, they should do from which they can be benefited. And if they need help than they can take it from agriculture experts, whether they are from PAU or any other university, because they always suggest the best.”

Hartej Singh Mehta

Read Full Story

Hartej Singh Mehta- Laying Foundation For Better Future By Inspiring Others To Pursue Organic Farming

Earlier organic was a term which was very rarely used or practiced. There were very few farmers who use to do organic farming and that also for the home purpose. But with the time, people recognized that every shining vegetable or fruit looks good but is not good for health.

This is the story of a farmer – Hartej Singh Mehta, who took a wise decision 10 years back and is very grateful for it. For Hartej Singh Mehta continuing organic farming was the best decision he ever took in his life. And today he is the renowned personality for organic farming in his area (Mehta Village- Bathinda).

As being from the Malwa region of Punjab, where farmers use pesticides and chemicals at a very high rate to get good productivity, Hartej Singh Mehta chose to maintain harmony with nature. He is very dedicated towards his hereditary occupations from his childhood and for him living a simple life is more important than bragging about his achievements.

Despite being highly qualified (MA Punjabi, MA Political Science), he chose to pursue organic farming instead of running behind the city life and govt. job. Currently, he has 11 acres of land in which he grows Cotton, Wheat, Mustard, Sugarcane, Lentil, Spinach, Fenugreek, Carrot, Radish, Onions, Garlic and almost all the vegetables. He always prefers to prepare his fields by following natural ways which work well for cotton (F 1378), wheat (1482) and Bansi named seeds.

“Reasons like dissatisfaction, illiteracy, and desire of higher productivity of the farmers lead them to use chemical fertilizers and pesticides, due to which, farmers who are known as the Savior are now serving toxin in the society.Nowadays farmers use pesticides and chemicals for pest management which harms the good worms and fertility of the soil. They are not aware that by using chemicals in their farm they are ultimately poisoning the whole food chain. Moreover, by using chemicals and pesticides they are not only worsening the environmental conditions but also facing major economic loss due to increasing debt.”  – Said by Hartej Singh Mehta

Mr. Mehta always practices natural method and whenever he needs information related to natural farming he refers Pingalwara Society, Amritsar and Agricultural Heritage Mission. He generally uses cow urine and animal dung for preparing fertilizer, as this is good for the soil and is also very economical.

According to Mr. Mehta, consuming naturally grown food has kept him and his family perfectly healthy and away from diseases. Due to this reason also Mr. Mehta feels inspired towards organic farming and in future also he will continue doing it.

Message
“I want to give the same message to the farmers across the country that we should come out of the shackles of private companies and should pledge to make healthy society by serving them healthy food.”