Tag: Farmer

Devendra Parmar

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The man who made his own fuel- Devendra Parmar

The mantra to make agriculture a profitable business can be learned from Devendra Parmar, a farmer from Shajapur in Madhya Pradesh (MP). Due to the skill of eighth pass Devendra, he is now being called by the name “Gas Guru.” Devendra Parmar makes electricity and bio-CNG from his biogas plant. With this bio CNG, he even runs his car and tractor.

The story of Devendra Parmar is very interesting. He has a dairy business along with farming. He purchases milk from nearby villages and transports it via loading vehicles, cars, and tractors.

Every day, he had to put Rs 3,000 worth of diesel and gasoline in the vehicles. In addition, he had to put Rs 3,000 in cow dung cakes for diesel and petrol. Distressed by this expense, he converted his own cow dung gas plant into a biogas plant.

An engineer from Bihar helped in setting up the plant that cost Rs 25 lakhs for him. Now 70 kg of gas is being produced daily in balloons from the plant in the field itself. Using this as CNG, Bolero pickup vehicles, Alto cars, tractors, and bikes are being run without any cost.

This is how electricity, fertilizer, and fuel are made from biogas plants

Devendra Parmar of Patlavada village, 55 km from Shajapur district headquarters, has only passed 8th grade. Devendra takes care of 100 milch animals. He is not only running his vehicles from the biogas plant installed on the farm but is also generating electricity along with vermicompost. Apart from 70 kg of gas, 100 units of electricity are being generated daily from the plant. He is earning three thousand rupees daily by selling earthworm manure and four thousand rupees by selling milk. In this way, he is getting an income of about 2 lakh 10 thousand rupees in a month and about 25 lakh rupees annually.

Know the calculation for converting biogas to electricity

Devendra says that he has seven bighas of land. He did not use chemical fertilisers for the last four years. Along with this, there are 100 milch animals. Due to this, 25 quintals of cow dung are accumulated daily. Cow dung is fed into a 100-cubic-metre biogas plant through an automatic machine. As a result, 100 units, or 12 KW, of electricity are generated. Cow dung waste is used to make earthworm manure. 300 kg of organic manure is sold at Rs 10 per kg. The manure is only taken by farmers from the surrounding villages.

This is how fuel for vehicles is made

Devendra explained that the gas produced in the biogas plant from 2,500 kg of cow dung contains 60 per cent methane and 40 per cent carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is separated from water and oil by purifying it, which results in carbon dioxide and water exiting a pipe together. Methane gas comes into the balloon from the second pipe. The compressor delivers this gas to vehicles in the form of compressed natural gas (CNG). It outperforms diesel in terms of mileage by 15 kilowatt-hours per kilogram.

Parmar’s story is a true inspiration of where there’s a will there’s a way. His hard work & perseverance has helped him achieve the title the “The Gas Guru of India”

Message for farmers

Mr. Parmar believes farmers should keep upskilling themselves in order to manage their finances. Farmers should always seek new opportunities & ways to add a source income rather than sticking to existing methods of farming.

Vivek Uniyal

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Retired Soldier-Turned-Farmer Aiming Big Through Mushroom Cultivation

The Soldiers and the farmers are the two strong pillars of a country. Where the soldiers protects our land on the frontier, on the other hand, the farmers grows food for us on the same land. And that is why the slogan given by Lal Bahadur Shastri – “Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan” (Hail the Soldier, Hail the Farmer) is so popular and equitable.

This is a story about a soldier turned farmer – Vivek Uniyal based in Dehradun (Uttarakhand), who after honestly serving his motherland as an army man, returned to his roots to pursue farming and nurture the land with its love and care.

Vivek Uniyal got retired from the military after serving for a long time and then he joined the service of Uttarakhand Police for two years. Along with his police duty he also started farming in his free time. As his family members were still practicing agriculture, so Vivek’s inclination towards agriculture was natural and obvious. While pursuing his farming venture, once he got a chance to meet a mushroom farmer – Deepak Upadhyaya, who is also doing organic farming. And from this meeting, Vivek came to know about the different varieties of mushroom – Oyster, Milky and Button.

“Deepak Upadhyaya helped me initially in setting up the mushroom farm. And whenever I faced any difficulty he always assisted with his advice from his past experiences.” – Vivek Uniyal

After meeting Deepak, Vivek’s interest in mushroom farming took a big turn. He talked about this with his family, and even his sister Kusum also showed interest towards it. The duo of brother and sister together decided to start mushroom farming with their family’s consent. They started farming in a room after purchasing seeds of oyster mushroom from Solan (Himachal Pradesh)

To improve his mushroom farming skills and knowledge he also took training. The venture which he started within in a small room was well appreciated by the customers in the market after buying the product and profit was good too. Seeing the yield and the payback, Vivek decided to extend the level of the mushroom farming from one room to four rooms & he also started growing Milky and Button mushrooms. Along with it he also established a composting plant for the mushroom farming, which was inaugurated by the Agriculture Minister of Uttarakhand.

Along with mushroom farming, Vivek is also focusing towards organic farming from the last two years.

“Like we care and serve our mother, in the same way we should also understand our responsibilities towards mother nature. Farmers should focus towards organic farming and leave chemical farming.” – Vivek Uniyal

Vivek visits many villages time-to- time to convince and influence other farmers towards mushroom and organic farming. Till now he has established 45 mushroom plants collaboratively with other farmers. Students from agriculture university visits him to take his advice. And he also feels very fortunate to have the opportunity to help them.

“Mushroom farming is a business which provides employment to the whole family.” – Vivek Uniyal

Future Plans
In the coming time, Vivek is planning to produce products made up of mushroom such as Pickles, Biscuits, Papads etc. and sell them in the market.

Message
“Farmers should adopt allied-agri activities along with farming to increase their income. But in the beginning, they should start it on a small level, so that the business’s profit or loss will be known in advance & there would not be any difficulty or harm in the future.”

Amandeep Singh Sarao

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Young Farmer Leading His Way By Adopting New Crop & Modern Farming Practices

In our country, farmers are more leaned towards conventional farming, but this practice does not provide expected profit as per the hard work. But, a swift shift has been encountered among the farmers of young generation.

It is observed that youngsters are adopting new farming patterns and techniques and they are giving preference to vegetable and fruit farming above conventional practices. And as we know those who dare to think and do different, only they can make a big change.

This is a story about one such young farmer, Amandeep Singh Sarao, who is cultivating a crop about which earlier he had no idea. He has gained a new identity in the society, with his hard work and passion.

Mansa (Punjab) based Amandeep Singh’s grandfather and father had bought many land pieces for their personal business interests. But due to lack of time, they rented their 32 acres of land to another farmer, on which conventional farming practices were being followed. He was not much influenced towards agriculture in the beginning, as there was not much farming work at home.

After completing his graduation, Amandeep visited Gujarat with his friends for outing. There, he visited a farm. His friends find that farm very odd, so he decided to go inside the farm and explore it. He discovered that it was a dragon fruit farm by the name GDF.

Very few farmers in our country know about dragon fruit, as it is a foreign fruit and that’s why Amandeep too did not know much about it. GDF farm’s owner Nikunj Pansuriya briefed him more about its farming. After coming back to Punjab, he consulted with his family about it and they praised their son that he has decided to do something different from the usual. Social media was the main source of information for him about the dragon fruit farming and he came to know many new things about it.

“After visiting GDF farm, Lakshmi Putra Dragon Fruit Farm and RK Dragon fruit farm, Vasupujya Dragon Fruit Farm, Shri Hari Horticulture Nursery, Sangar Nursary, I realized that our farmers have been stuck in the cycle of conventional farming from the beginning. Therefore, it’s time for the new generation to do something innovative in the field of agriculture. ” – Amandeep Singh Sarao

Through the internet, he came to know that in Punjab, a Barnala based farmer Harbant Singh Aulakh is also practicing dragon fruit farming. So, to gather more information he visited his farm and from there he felt encouraged & determined to start this new venture.

Amandeep took back 2 acres from the rented land. With the advice of GDF’s owner he get the poles ready and ordered plants from four different places. He named his farm – “Sarao Dragon Fruits Farm” and whenever he faced any difficulty, he took help from experts and internet. In the beginning, he planted red and white variety of dragon fruits.

As it is said that “Things which are happening around you are noticeable and does not require evidence or proof”, in the same way, first year’s fruit of Sarao Dragon Fruits Farm were very tasty and everybody relished it.

After starting dragon fruit farming, all my family members encouraged me and inspired me to work harder and then I never looked back. ” – Amandeep Singh Sarao

Amandeep’s sister-in-law, Harmandeep Kaur, works in the forest department and she advised him to grow sandalwood along with the Dragon Fruit. In our country, sandalwood has its own importance, as it is used for religious activities and its prices are also very high. So, he started collecting information about sandalwood farming.

Amandeep contacted and met Mr. Nitin Patel, the head of Chandan Vikas Association, Gujarat. Nitin Patel has about 2000 sandalwood plants at his farm. In the beginning, Amandeep took a few sandalwood seedlings to plant it on his farm on trial basis. And today, Sarao Farm has about 225 sandalwood plants.

“Do not let the situation overcome you so that you lose courage, rather keep courage in such a way that the situation can be defeated.” – Amandeep Singh Sarao

As a young farmer, Amandeep always thought about doing something new. So he started grafting Dragon Fruit plants. For this, he took training from Mary Ann Passaul, who is from Tangum Philipine Island.

There are 12 varieties of Dragon Fruits at Sarao Dragon Fruits Farm:
• Valdiva Rosa
• Asunta
• Connie Mayer
• Delight
• American Beauty
• Purple Haze
• ISIS Golden Yellow
• S8 Sugar
• Ausi Golden Yellow
• Vietnam White
• Royal Red
• Simple Red

Amandeep still gathers new information related to agriculture field and he has also installed drip irrigation system at his farm. Everybody nearby his village praises him because of his strong determination and hard work and many people visit his farm to know more about his farming techniques.

Future Plans
In the coming time, Amandeep is planning to start marketing its fruit produce on a larger level and along with that he also wants to prepare and sell products made up of sandalwood.

Message
“Farmers should adopt chemical free method of farming. Especially the young farmers, should come forward with their innovative thinking to create more employment in the field of agriculture.”

Khushpal Singh

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Farmer Reaping Profit by Giving a Healthy Twist to Jaggery

In our country, most of the agriculture-based families choose traditional farming methods over modern. But still, there are some farmers who are changing with time and are turning agriculture into a profitable business and are also setting a great example in the society with their significant efforts.

Sardar Jiyun Singh, father of Khushpal Singh, a farmer based in Punjab’s Maana village of district Sangrur, used to do conventional farming on 22 acres of land.

Being born and brought up in a farmer’s family, Mr. Khushpal Singh’s interest was also towards agriculture. And after the sudden death of his father, all the family and farm’s responsibilities came onto his shoulders. He started growing other crops like mustard, turmeric, paddy, potatoes and maize along with wheat. As time progressed, he also started beekeeping and dairy farming. For beekeeping purposes, he used to take the honey bees to other states and places like Rajasthan, Afghangarh and so on, but after some time due to some reasons, he had to quit the beekeeping business.

Later, he thought of adding something additional to his farming routine. So, he decided to start sugarcane farming. To start with a strong base he gathered all the information from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana and took training from KVK Rauni, Patiala. Steadily and systematically he began taking his steps forward, and from farming sugarcane, he started processing it into jaggery.

Jaggery prepared by him was liked by everyone. On people’s demand, he also started preparing powdered jaggery and other products. After achieving this small but appreciable milestone, he never turned back and started working hard to fulfill the customers’ demand. People from the nearby village started recognizing him because of his work.

“We use fertilizer in sugarcane farming as recommended by PAU, and the jaggery prepared by the cane juice is completely chemical-free. No color or preservatives are added in it.” – Khushpal Singh
List of products produced by Mr. Khushpal Singh:
  • Jaggery
  • Powdered Jaggery
  • Jaggery with fennel seeds
  • Flax seeds powder
  • Sesame seed bar
  • Jaggery with dry fruits
  • Medicated Jaggery
  • Turmeric Jaggery

To sell the produce he is running a ghulad by the name “Zimidara ghulad Sarao & Gill” at Patiala-Sangrur road. People come from far & wide to buy jaggery and other products from him.

Most of his customers order & purchase jaggery from him on the basis of their demand. He also put up his stalls in Kisan Melas, other than ghulad. The admiration and praise that he receives from his customers motivate him more to produce quality and natural products.

In this whole venture, Mr. Khushpal Singh gets full support from his family, especially from his brother Mr. Harbaksh Singh, who always stands with him in all the good & bad times.

“Anyone can come to ghulad and order jaggery based on their choice and demand; in the meanwhile, they can stand nearby and see the product getting prepared themselves.” – Khushpal Singh
Future Plans

In the future, Mr. Khushpal Singh is planning to extend his product list, and also to introduce his products in the market with great packaging with good marketing and promotion.


Message
“Youngsters should also try contributing to the agriculture field along with their studies, job and career. We should drop out this thinking from our minds that agriculture is a work which is done by the backward and illiterate people.”

Shamsher Singh Sandhu

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This Is What Happens When the Nursery Preparation Venture Turns Out Well In the Field Of Agriculture

When it comes to agriculture, then farmer should stop following the sheep herd and do what truly motivates them to wake up daily from their bed and stand up in the fields, whether its vegetable farming, poultry, piggery, floriculture, food processing, or door to door delivery of the produce. Because this is how a farmer can make out the best from agriculture.
One such a progressive farmer from the land of Jaats- Haryana – Shamsher Singh Sandhu, has excelled his way up in the field of agriculture by following his ideas and dreams. Unlike other farmers, Mr. Sandhu is mainly into seeds preparation which is giving him good returns as compared to conventional farming practices.
Inspired by his father’s achievements in the field of agriculture, Shamsher Singh also decided to adopt farming after completing his studies (Bachelor of Arts) in 1979 and in the next year he got married too. But following the same footsteps as his father of cultivating wheat, paddy, and other conventional crops was not that fortunate, and he was still confused about his profession.
However, the agriculture sector is such a wide sector with so many fields and opportunities, so, in 1985 he came to know about Young Farmer Training Programme of Punjab Agriculture University, it was a 3 months training programme under which there were 12 subjects like dairy, horticulture, poultry and many other subjects. He got himself enrolled in it. After finishing the training he started preparing seeds and without visiting the vegetable market or having any shop, he earned well from the seed preparation business just by sitting at home.
Apart from agricultural activities, Shamsher Singh Sandhu is also involved in a social initiative through which he helps the needy by donating clothes to them. He has made a group of farmers specially, to collect unwanted clothes and use it for a better purpose.
For seed preparation, first Shamsher Singh Sandhu himself buys seed from the university (PAU or HAU), cultivate them, harvest it when it has reached its full maturity stage and after that treat it with semi-organic methods before selling it the other farmers. In this way, he is making a good profit out of nursery preparation business. His venture is so successful, that he has been awarded two times for his outstanding efforts from IARI with Innovative Farmer Award and Fellow Farmer Award in 2015 and 2018.
Presently Shamsher Singh Sandhu is farming Guar, Wheat, Barley, Cotton and seasonal vegetables along with seeds preparation and is reaping good profit out of it. In future, he is planning to expand his Sandhu Seed Farm work, so that he can supply the seeds not only in Punjab but in other neighbouring states as well.
Message
Farmers should try seeds of other seed suppliers as well because in this way they can know the difference between the good supplier and the bad one and take the better yield of the crops by choosing the best.