Tag: Fruits

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.

Amarjeet Singh Dhillon

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Leaving M. Tech in middle of his studies, why this young man started farming?

Every parents’ dream is that their children should get a good job so that their future is secure. Similar was the dream of Amarjeet Singh Dhillon’s parents. So they taught him in a good school for his good future and got him enrolled in higher education for B.Tech mechanical. After completing graduation in Mechanical Engineering, Amarjeet decided to pursue his Masters in M.Tech. and also got admitted. But he was not having any particular interest in the study of M.Tech., so he decided to leave the studies in between.

Amarjeet’s family had 12 acres of land on which his father and brother used to practice conventional agriculture. For one year Amarjeet also used to do farming with his father, but due to being a young man, Amarjeet did not want to get enrolled himself in the traditional agriculture. To further increase his knowledge in agriculture, he started visiting Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana.

He joined the Young Farmer Course in PAU. After the completion of course, he decided to do horticulture. He first started fruit farming at his farm named “Green Energy Farm”.. Later on, he also started vegetables cultivation, flower farming and beekeeping.

Within one year, I decided to grow only fruits and vegetables leaving all other kinds of farming, because the marketing of fruits and vegetables is easily done in the same local market. It helps in getting daily living like a shopkeeper – Amarjeet Singh Dhillon

Amarjeet has set up a time-table for the whole of the year, according to which he harvests the crops sown in different months.

Amarjeet does not do organic farming. At first he tries to control insect-pests and diseases using organic methods only but if further needed, he use sprays as recommended by the PAU in recommended amount. Even today, Amarjeet participates in all KVK, university and district level training programs. Whenever he gets in trouble, he always seek advice from PAU experts only.

According to me, fruits or vegetables should be plucked before spraying and there should be a minimum of 24-48 hours gap between fruit plucking and applying spray – Amarjeet Singh Dhillon
Achievements
Amarjeet has received many honors at the state level and national level, some of which are mentioned below:
  • Chief Minister Award from PAU (2006)
  • State level Award from ATMA (2009)
  • State Award in Agriculture Summit, Chappadchidi
  • Zonal award from International Institute of Vegetable Research (2018)
  • National Award from PUSA (2018)
  • Innovative Farmer Award from IARI
Future Planning

In the future, Amarjeet Singh Dhillon wants to focus all his attention on the self marketing and processing of fruits and vegetables.

Message
“Those young people who want to get themselves enrolled into horticulture, should first get proper education and training in agriculture. They should start farming at very small level rather than investing huge lump-sum in the starting. They must read agricultural related books and should always keep learning.”

Angrez Singh Bhullar

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How the deteriorating health of this farmer enlighten him to recognize his mistake and switch to organic farming

Angrez Singh Bhullar, this 53 old year farmer from Giddarbaha, after recognizing what mistakes he has made and how it is affecting his health, made the most enlightened decision of his life.

In the young age of 4, Angrez Singh Bhullar lost his father. His family conditions were deteriorating day by day, as there was no bread earner. They were surviving on the money they were getting from their land rented to the relatives. There were two elder sisters in his family and fulfilling the family needs was becoming very difficult for his mother day-by-day. Due to worsening financial conditions, Angrez Singh received academic qualification until 9th class only and his sisters never went to school.

After dropping off from the school, Angrez Singh used to spend time with his uncles on their farm and learn some farming techniques from them. Until 1989 the land was rented to relatives, but after that Angrez Singh was big enough to take the responsibility of the family, so, he decided of taking his land back, and start farming on it.

On the behalf of whatever he learned from his uncle and by seeing other farmers of his village, he also started chemical farming. He started earning well and financial conditions of his family were improved. Soon after some time he got married and was living a happy family life.

But in 2006, he got sick and suffered from major health issues. Earlier he used to take this problem lightly but later after getting diagnosed, he came to know that his intestine are swelled up which can lead to serious problem in the future. At that time, many people use to visit him to ask him about his well-being, and someone told him that using chemical in farming is the reason behind your health issues and you should start organic.

Although many people told him many things to do, to get cure, but the one thing that knocked his mind hardly was switching to organic. He took this matter very seriously and started organic farming in 2006 with 2.5 acres of land. He grew wheat, vegetables, fruits, lemon, guava, sugarcane and paddy and earned good profit from it. To multiply his profit, he thought of processing his produce on his own and then he started making jaggery out of sugarcane. He adopted manual jaggery processing method as he was starting this venture on his own. In the beginning, he was unsure that how it is going to benefit him, but slowly his village people started liking his jaggery. Slowly the jaggery demand rose up to a level that he started making jaggery on advance booking. After sometime he also established vermicomposting plant at his farm to reap good harvest from homemade manure.

He has received many awards, achievements and attended many training camps, and some of them are listed below:

• Participated in District Muktsar Science Fair held between 15 to 18 November in 1979.

• Participated in 90 days training of Artificial Insemination organized by Verka Plant Bathinda in 1985.

• Attended 3-days-training of Hybrid Seeds Preparation organized by PAU, Ludhiana in 1988.

• Received Yog Teacher’s Training Certificate for participating in Patanjali Yog Samiti from 9 July to 14 July of 2009.

• Appreciation from the Director of Kheti Baadi Vibhag, Punjab, 28 Sep, 2012.

• Participated in Vibrant Gujarat Global Agricultural Summit held at 9 & 10 Sep on 2013.

• Appreciation Letter for Natural Farming & Environmental Fair which was help on 26 July, 2013 by Kheti Virasat Mission.

• Received appreciation for attending Rabi Crops Farmer Training Camp at state Level- by Agricultural Technology Management Agency (ATMA) on 21st Sep, 2014, Organized by Kheti Baadi Vibhag, Dist. Shri Muktsar Sahib, Punjab.

• Appreciation Letter by Kheti Baadi Vibhag at shri Muktsar sahib on 21st Sep, 2014 for State Level Farmer Training Camp.

• Participated in Advance training course of Bee Breeding 7 Mass Bee Rearing Technique organized by PAU on 12-14 Oct, 2014.

• Attended Poultry Farming Training of 2 weeks organized by Department of Animal Husbandry, Punjab at Sarkari Murgi Sewa Kendra, Kotkapura.

• Registered as a Beekeeper by National Bee Board

• Received CRI Award.

• Attended Kharif Crop Farming 1-day-Training camp organized by KVK, Goniana.

• Attended 10 days beekeeping training organized by PAU Ludhiana.

• Attended 1-day-Training Pest Control in Grains stored in Storehouse organized by KVK, Goniana.

• Participated in Organic & Herbal Products Mela organized by department of Rural Development, NITTTR, Chandigarh.

• Participated in workshop training programme- “MARKET LED EXTENSION” conducted by PAMETI (Punjab Agriculture Management & Extension Training Institute), PAU.

Angrez Singh Bhullar is a futuristic farmer of Punjab who understands the importance of going organic. Today, we need more farmers like him to deal with the worsening environment conditions.

Message for Farmers:
“If we don’t start organic farming now then our future generation will be in a big problem.”

Mohinder Singh Grewal

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STORY OF A MAN WHO MASTERED THE ART OF AGRONOMY AND ESTABLISHED HIS FEAT IN THE FIELD OF DIVERSIFIED AGRICULTURE

Anyone can think and dream. But there are very few people who can take stand on their thinking and have the ardour to accomplish it. With the strong determination there comes a navy man who decided to change his profession into farming. That man came up with an idea of multipurpose farm and with his passion and hard work, today that farmer has turned himself into a global personality in the field of agriculture.

Sardar Mohinder Singh Grewal, the first Farmer Consultant of Punjab Agriculture University, PAU, has 53 years of experience in diversified farming of growing 42 different types of crops. He has learned hybrid seed developing and progressive farming techniques from countries like Israel. Till now, he has won 5 international, 7 national and 16 state level awards for his work in the field of agriculture.

Mr. Grewal was born on 1st December 1937 in Lyallpur in present day Pakistan. His father’s name was Arjan Singh and mother’s name was Jagir Kaur. If we look at the entire life of Mohinder Singh Grewal, we can see that his life was full of struggles but he assumed every struggle and difficulty in his life as a challenge and with dedication and hard work he fulfilled the dreams of himself and his family.

During his school and college days, Mohinder Singh Grewal was really enthusiastic about football and he used to captain the teams of various schools. He was also a good athlete and due to this, he got a permanent job in Indian Navy. In 1962 Mohinder Singh Grewal travelled to Kala Pani in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia on the ship named INS. While playing a match in Indonesia he suffered a serious injury on his right thigh. Due to his injury and family pressure he left his job in Indian Navy in 1963 and after that his life came to a standstill for a while.

After leaving the job, he did not have much of a choice but to go back to his ancestral profession of agriculture. He started with the farming of wheat and maize and he did this for 4 years. Mohinder Singh along with his wife Jasbir Kaur made a cohesive plan to succeed in agriculture and today he has become world famous due to his agricultural activities. Even though he has a small farm of 12 acres but by doing crop rotation he is making a lot of profit. Mohinder Singh Grewal has been able to grow almost 42 types of crops in his fields and get good quality produce. His feat has not only been recognized in Punjab but in the entire India as well.

Mohinder Singh Grewal’s Work has made him so popular that he has served for many prestigious committees and councils. At the state level, he has served as Member of Governing Board, Punjab State Seed Certification Authority, PAU Publication Committee and PAU Farmers’ Advisory Committee. At the national level, he has served as Member of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices, Government of India; Member of Seed Act Sub-Committee, Government of India; Member of Advisory Committee, Prasar Bharti, Jalandhar, Punjab; and Member of Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research, Lucknow. At present, he is a Member of Agriculture and Horticulture Committee, PAU, and Member of Governing Board, Agricultural Technology Management Agency. And he is also the Founder and Charter President of Punjab Farmers’ Club, PAU.

He has been honoured by many countries such as England, Mexico, Ethiopia and Thailand for his work in the field of agriculture and has also won over 75 awards at various levels. He has been awarded as “Man of the year” by Autobiographical Institute, USA in 1996; and on 15th August 1999, he was honoured with a Gold Medal and Loyi in Shri Guru Gobind Singh Stadium in Jalandhar by honourable Governor S S Rai.

He has also been invited by Farmers Institute, Pakistan twice to educate the farmers of West Punjab on how to earn more profits in agriculture and to educate the officials of the Agricultural University in Pakistan about crop diversification. He has been travelling most of his life and has been to many countries like USA, Canada, Mexico, Thailand, England and Pakistan as a scientific farmer and a delegate member, and wherever he went, he imparted technical knowledge to the local farmers.

Sardar Mohinder Singh Grewal is also a keen writer and has written five books, titled as “Kheti-Bari Di Safalta Di Kunji”, “Tere Bagair Zindagi” (poems), “Rang Zindagi De” (autobiography), “Zindagi Ik Darya” and “Successful Scientific Farming.” His writings have been published in foreign newspapers, national dailies, state newspapers, agricultural magazines and Rotary magazines. He has also contributed to the community by undertaking several community service projects like free eye check-up camps, road safety week, blood donation camps, tree plantation, field days and soil tests.

In the field of agriculture, Mohinder Singh Grewal has achieved tremendous success and has set higher standards for farming. His achievements in agriculture act as a source of knowledge and inspiration for all the farmers.

Harjeet Singh Brar

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Despite Facing Many Problems, This Citrus Estate Owner Reinvented His Way to Stay Successful To Harvest the Sweetest Kinnows

Crop failure, insect/pest attack, rainfed land, financial condition are some of the problems that make the farmers helpless and handicapped sometimes, and these situations lead to suicide commits, starvation, and illiteracy. But some farmers do not accept their downfall so easily and they overcome these types of situations with their full determination and efforts. Harjeet Singh Brar, a residence of Deleanwali village (Faridkot), is one such a farmer whose quest of glory still echoes in the field of kinnow cultivation.

Mr. Brar got the inspiration of Kinnow farming after his visit to the orchard of Sardar Balwinder Singh Tikka situated at Abul Khurana village. Initially, he faced many problems like pest attacks of Citrus Psylla, Leaf Miner and disease like Phytophthora root rot, but he never stepped back or regretted his decision of Kinnow farming. But slowly with the time, he overcame all the problems and expanded his orchard from 6 acres to 70 acres.

To increase the orchard productiveness he implemented the High-Density farming technique. With his dedication and curiosity to learn more about Kinnow Farming, kept him afloat over all the problems and he started earning great profit from the business.

To polish his farming skills and give it a better professional touch, he undertook training from P.A.U, KVK Faridkot and Department of Horticulture.

The Passion for Conserving Natural Resources:
He is very passionate towards conserving the natural resources. He always tries to implement those farming technologies through which he can save the resources. With the guidance of PAU experts, he installed drip irrigation system and built a water storage tank of capacity 42 lakh litres, where he stores canal water. Along with this, he also invested in the solar panel to conserve solar energy and later use it to uplift water from storage tanks to his orchards. He also does mulching during peak summer months to conserve the soil moisture.

To improve the soil health he uses green manure and also recommends to other farmers. He prepares soil bed of around 20 m X 10 m and 20 m X 15 m for Kinnow cultivation.

How he deals with the pest…
To tackle the menace of citrus Psylla, White Fly, and Leaf Miner, he has especially implemented an indigenous aeroblast spray pump which ensures uniform spray of the pesticide and weedicide.

Adopting innovative trends…
Whenever he gets the opportunity to adopt any new trend or technology he never misses that. Once he borrowed an idea from Gurraj Singh Virk- an eminent horticulturist and designed a low-cost Kinnow cleaning cum grading machine (capacity of 2 tonnes per hour). And now this machine only cost him just Rs 125 to clean and grade 2 tonnes of fruit, but the biggest advantage is that he is saving Rs 1000 on manual cleaning. Today, he is making a great profit from his orchard business. He is an inspiration for other farmers.

MESSAGE
“All farmers, whether practicing organic or conventional farming should take immediate and stern measures to conserve the soil fertility. For Kinnow farming, the farmers should use green manure in the Kinnow plantations for improving the soil health.”

 

Krishan Dutt Sharma

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HOW ORGANIC FARMING HELPED KRISHAN DUTT SHARMA SCRIPT HIS SUCCESS IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE

There are situations in life which make people realize the missing objective of their lives and inspire them to achieve it. The same thing happened with an ordinary farmer- Krishan Dutt Sharma, of village- Chikhar (Shimla) and motivated him to adopt organic farming.

Achievements of Krishan Dutt Sharma in organic farming has made him so popular that today his name is counted in the list of important people in the field of agriculture.

It all started when, Krishan Dutt Sharma got the opportunity to visit Hyderabad (November 11, 2002), with the help of Agriculture Department. During that visit, he got an overview of Organic Farming. He was curious to know more about it, as well as he wanted to implement it.

His passion and ideas came into action when he came in contact with Morarka Foundation (in 2004). Until that time, he got well aware of the adverse effects of increased use of chemicals in the agriculture field and this made him very distressed and anxious. As he knew that, he also has to face the consequences of fertilizers and pesticides in the coming future, so he decided to adopt organic farming completely.

He had total 20 bigha land out which 5 bighas was irrigated land and 15 bigha was rain-fed area. In the beginning, he purchased an apple mother plant (root-stock) from Horticulture Department, and from that plant, he established his whole garden with 400 plants of apples. He also grew pears tree (20), cherry trees (20), peach trees (10) and pomegranate tree (15). Along with fruits, he also started growing vegetables like cauliflower, peas, beans, capsicum, and broccoli.

Generally, broccoli crop grown with pesticides and chemicals gets easily spoil, but the broccoli grown by Krishan Dutt Sharma in an organic way, significantly has much life. Due to this reason now broccoli grown by farmers organically is being carried to Delhi market for marketing purpose. Moreover, broccoli grown organically is sold around Rs 100-150 / kg and these numbers are escalating the income reach of farmers up to 500000 rupees, and in the boost of this six-digit figure, half of the income is earned from the sale of broccoli only.

To inspire more farmers towards organic farming, Krishan Dutt Sharma has created a group in his village under his leadership. His initiative has inspired many farmers to adopt organic farming.

Krishan Dutt Sharma’s achievements in the field of organic farming are very huge and even Himachal Government has honoured him with Best Farmer Award in “Organic Fair and Food Festival” in June 2013. But because of his humbleness, he gives all the credit of his success to Morarka Foundation and the Department of Agriculture.

He uses cows (3), bullocks (1), and calves (2) dung in his fields and forest, and he also prepares Vermicompost for better yield. He has prepared a bed of 30x8x10 on his farm where he prepares Vermicompost from 250 earthworms every year. In place of pesticides, he uses herbal spray, aperture wash, Jivamrit, and NSDL. Using natural pesticides in place of artificial improves his land condition and also decreases his expense.

Message:
“He wants to inspire other farmers to adopt organic farming for better future and good income.”