Tag: Crop Diversification

Surinder Kumar

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Innovative Farmer Surinder Kumar: Pioneering Success in Relay Cropping and Strawberry Farming in Jhangola

In the heart of Dasuya district in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, a tale of agricultural innovation and resilience is unfolding. Sh. Surinder Kumar, born and raised in this agrarian landscape, has emerged as an inspirational figure for farmers across the region. His transition from a 20-year career in exhibition conference management in Delhi to becoming an innovative farmer in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic shows his determination and commitment to sustainable farming practices.

Surinder Kumar’s journey into agriculture wasn’t a predictable one. Driven by the economic uncertainties brought about by the pandemic, he returned to his roots, drawing on the farming experience instilled in him during his childhood. His parents, deeply rooted in agriculture, had imparted invaluable knowledge that would later become the foundation of his success.

In pursuit of a new venture, Surinder Kumar turned to a friend in the UK, a seasoned farmer with expertise in strawberry cultivation. Armed with this knowledge and complemented by his own extensive research, Surinder Kumar embarked on the ambitious journey of strawberry farming in India. The initial challenges were manifold, ranging from the unavailability of high-quality seedlings in India to the struggle of exporting seeds and seedlings from other countries.

The first year proved to be financially daunting, as he faced significant losses on his initial 3-acre venture, with expenses averaging 8 to 9 lakhs per acre. Undeterred, Surinder Kumar sought solutions and identified the need for superior strawberry varieties. This realization led him to import unique strawberry varieties with distinctive flavors from Italy, varieties that could thrive under Indian conditions. Fulfilling all government regulations for seed importation, he received guidance from PUSA on the proper procurement and cultivation of these imported plants.

As Surinder Kumar’s strawberry enterprise began to take root, he expanded his agricultural footprint by acquiring land in Himachal Pradesh. Currently, he manages an impressive 8-acre plot in Jhangola village in Delhi, with 4 acres dedicated to strawberry cultivation and the remaining 4 acres supporting a variety of vegetables, including capsicum, cauliflower, broccoli, radish, and wheat.

One of Surinder Kumar’s key strategies for maximizing profit margins is his adoption of relay cropping, a method where different crops are cultivated sequentially on the same piece of land within a single growing season. His relay cropping patterns, particularly between strawberry-watermelon and capsicum-watermelon, have proven to be highly lucrative, demonstrating the potential for diversification in farming practices.

In addition to innovative cropping patterns, Surinder Kumar places a strong emphasis on sustainable agricultural practices. He has implemented integrated pest management techniques to minimize the use of harmful pesticides, safeguarding both soil and crop health. Recognizing the importance of water management, he has developed a variety-specific fertigation regime, optimizing the use of water and fertilizers for enhanced crop growth.

Modern technology plays a pivotal role in Surinder Kumar’s farming approach. Real-time temperature and humidity monitoring through data loggers ensure optimal conditions for his crops, showcasing his commitment to leveraging technology for agricultural efficiency.

For the marketing and sale of his produce, Surinder Kumar has strategically partnered with supermarket giants Reliance Fresh and Big Basket, providing him with a fixed market and ensuring a steady income stream. This collaborative approach not only secures his financial stability but also contributes to the economic growth of Jhangola.

His message to the fellow farmers is seed selection and plantation at the right time is very important in strawberry farming. Also, he actively engages with and assists other farmers who wish to delve into strawberry farming, offering guidance on seed selection, cultivation practices, and post-harvest care.

In conclusion, Sh. Surinder Kumar’s agricultural story stands as a beacon of innovation and sustainability. His strategic adoption of relay cropping, importation of unique strawberry varieties, commitment to sustainable practices, and embrace of technology exemplify a holistic approach to farming. As an advocate for responsible and profitable agriculture, Surinder Kumar not only cultivates success for himself but also serves as an inspiration for the farming community at large.

Harbhajan Singh

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A farmer who succeeded in running 5 different professions on a single platform and therefore is recognized as Shaktiman of Farmers- Harbhajan Singh

Diversification is a vital process to achieve successful outcomes in this rapidly changing, fast-paced world. It is hard to adopt but very necessary these days. Everyone in the universe is born to do something unique and distinctive. However, many people are afraid of the change and hence, they hold back their thoughts on diversification. Only some people can realise their uniqueness and reach the stars to change the world. This story is about one such person.

Where most farmers go with the traditional way of cultivating Wheat and Rice, Harbhajan Singh, a farmer from Malakpur village, Mansa, contributes his efforts towards the multiformity in Agriculture. He is successfully running an integrated farm on 11 acres of his land in which he rears fish, pigs, hens, goats and quails. Moreover, he has also taken 55 acres of Panchayati land on rent in which he rears fish.

After completing his graduation in 1981, Harbhajan Singh started a mechanical workshop and along with that, he was helping his family with agricultural work. At that time, his friend suggested him to start rearing fishes. So then, he began researching the fish rearing process and soon took a village pond on rent to nurture fishes.

I made a significant profit by rearing fishes and hence, decided to work on my private land– Harbhajan Singh 

He was benefited from this work, therefore, in 1995 he decided to get training from Punjab State Fisheries Development Board, Mansa and started working more effectively on his own land. Harbhajan Singh prepared a pond on 2.5 acres on his own land and later bought additional 2.5 acres of land adjoining his pond. His fish production at that time was 6 tonnes per hectare. Later, he decided to get training from the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture, Bhubaneswar, Odisha and bought 6 breeds of fish (Rohu, Katla, Murakh, Grass Carp, Common Carp and Civil Carp) and 3 aerators to increase the fish production. The government provided these aerators with a half subsidy. The productivity of the fish rose to 8 tonnes per hectare after the use of aerators.

I had to buy fish seeds from the government hatchery, which was a costly process; therefore, I prepared a hatchery of my own– Harbhajan Singh 

Along with fish rearing, he prepared a hatchery to produce Fish Seeds as it was costly to buy seeds from other hatcheries. Generally, the hatcheries are government-made, but Harbhajan Singh was so hardworking and dedicated that he prepared his own hatchery with a large initial investment. The hatchery provides artificial rain to the fishes to help them breed. He produced about 20 Lakh finger-sized fish seeds in the hatchery and sold them for 50 paise to 1 Rs per seed.

Over time, he initiated Pig farming in 2009 with 50 pigs of large white Yorkshire breed and decided to sell them as live weight. This type of marketing was not effective enough, so he decided to start processing pig meat. He gained training in Meat products from CIPHET, PAU, GADVASU and processed pig meat into pickle. Marketing the meat pickle was a great success; his income almost got doubled.

At present, Harbhajan has around 150 pigs and he uses pig waste to feed the fishes. This saved him 50-60% of the cost, and the fishes’ production rose about 20%. And, now he produces 10 tonnes of fish per hectare.

He started a Fish Pork Processing Self Help Group of 11 members. This gave employment to many people and added to their incomes.

Harbhajan Singh was also awarded by the Chief Minister of Punjab for his success in integrated farming.

Things did not stop here! He had a long way to go.

As there is an increase in water scarcity, Harbhajan found a way to save nature by recycling the water. He reuses water by first using it for bathing the pigs; then, the same water is released to flow into the fish pond and the wastewater from the fish pond is used to irrigate the crops in the field. This water is organic and provides fertilisers to the crops; hence the only half amount of fertilisers is required to be added artificially. The Punjab CM, Parkash Singh Badal was very impressed with Harbhajan Singh’s efforts and visited his farm.

I got training from KVK, Mansa, to initiate Goat Farming– Harbhajan Singh

Furthermore, he decided to include goats in his farming; hence, he got training from KVK, Mansa and started working with 30 goats, including Beetal and Sirohi, in the beginning and at present, Harbhajan has 150 goats. Later in 2017, he started visiting Kisan Mela at PAU, from where he got the inspiration to rear Quails and Hens. Hence, he bought 2000 Quails and 150 Kadaknath Hens from Chandigarh. These hens are allowed to roam openly and find their feed on their own from the leftovers of other animals’ feed. Currently, he rears 3000 Quails at his farm.

All the feed for the animals is prepared at the field by him with the help of machines. Today, Harbhajan runs his farm successfully with his two sons, who help him in the farm works. He manages all the farming with the assistance of only one helper. He sells fish seeds for 2 Rs per seed. Besides, he sells the goats in Malerkotla on Bakar Eid’s occasion and prepares Goat pickles from the meat. The eggs of Kadaknath hen are sold for Rs 15-20 and the chicken meat is sold for Rs 700- 800. Harbhajan then got training from ICAR-CIFE, Kolkata, for making fish pickles, fish soup etc and marketed the product in the home market. He sells his product under the name “Khiala Pork and Fish Products”.

Marketing of the products is done at my farm itself– Harbhajan Singh

All the marketing process is done in his field itself; he does not need to go anywhere to sell his products. He motivated many young farmers and they visit him for taking his advice regarding integrated farming. He became an inspiration for others and encouraged many other people to run an integrated system of farming.

Future Plans

Harbhajan Singh wants to increase his income and take his farming to a higher level. He wants to be more successful in integrated farming and teach people about the benefits of organic and diversified farming.

Message

Harbhajan Singh advises young farmers to pursue organic farming. If any farmer wants to start integrated farming, he should begin from a base level and gradually add other aspects to their business.

Kunal Gahlot

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URBAN FARMER REAPING MILLIONS FROM VEGETABLE FARMING

As we know that time is a limited commodity for everyone and working hard won’t help a person to compete from the multi-millionaire competitors. Because if it was possible to earn fortune by working hard, than today farmers would be the multi-millionaires of this country.

The thing which makes your work more impactful and productive is smartness. This is the story of an ordinary farmer from the outskirt village-Tigi Pur of Delhi, who is making millions from vegetable farming by using smart modern farming approach. It’s not like he has any high-tech farming machinery or equipment or he is using gold in place of manure, it’s just his smart approach which he is implementing in his fields.

Technology adopted by Kunal Gahlot….

Kunal Gahlot is engaged in crop diversification and farm diversification since 2004 which has resulted in boosting up the farm income by 500% in a stretch of 10 years. Yes, you read it right! In 2004 his farm income was Rs. 500000/- and in the end of 2015 it was turned into 3500000/-

Turning this 6 digit income into 7 was only possible for Kunal Gahlot because of the implementation of new and modern techniques. Unlike other farmers he embraced scientific technologies in the production of crop plants and horticulture products, like mushroom farming, and intensive vegetable farming. By this initiative, he has earned Rs 3.60 lakh/per hectare in just 4 months.

How marketing boost up his farming to next level….

As per the market demands, sale of the farm produce rocketed and developed many new effective marketing linkages, which helped Kunal Gahlot to identify the potential market place as per the needs.

To lift up the productivity of farm produce he also established vermicompost plant on a large scale and used farm mechanization for better cultivation and harvesting process. Currently he is growing Wheat (HD-2967 and PB-1509), Paddy, Radish, Spinach, Mustard, Turnip, Cauliflower, Tomato, Carrot etc., and along with this he also prepares vegetable seeds. Well these are just few achievements of Kunal Gahlot to mention…

He has also modified the package of practices for cucumber cultivation, transplanting for cabbage, intercropping of marigold with radish etc.

For his work, he has received several awards and recognition from various government and non-government organizations. He always try to share his knowledge and innovations among the fellow farmers of his area and also contribute in the betterment of the agriculture field.