Ramandeep Singh Archives - Progressive Farmers

Joint Effort Made by the Two Brothers Has Turned Their Father’s Small Poultry Farm into a Large Scale Business: Jagjeet Poultry Breeding Farm

A small business started by a man with just Rs. 15,000, he never thought his own sons will take it to such a large scale in future. Well, it is said that big things often have small beginnings. This is the story of two sons, who followed the same footprints of their father after their education and expanded the business to a greater extent.

Sardar Bhagat Singh a small farmer of Patti town in Tarn Taran city of Punjab, started a poultry farm business in 1962 with just 400 hens. He started the business in the times when no one was aware of poultry farm business idea. He named his poultry farm – Jagjeet Poultry Farm, JAG was taken from her wife’s name (Jagdish) first half and JEET was his own nickname. Well, Bhagat Singh started the poultry business because it was his dream and he had interest in doing that. But he never imposed his words and business on his children. He had two sons- Mandeep Singh and Ramandeep Singh, and both were sent to school and college to persuade their primary and higher studies and do whatever they wanted to do with their career. But both the sons chose to join their father’s business and extend it.

Both the brothers, Mandeep Singh and Ramandeep Singh, took the grip over the business just after their father’s death in 2012 and gradually with the time, extended their farm into 3.5 acres of area. Earlier there was only poultry farm, but after some time they also started breeding, and they renamed their farm as Jagjeet Poultry Breeding Farm. But everyone in the village, from that time till now, knows the poultry farm by the name of Bhagat Singh. Well, the name doesn’t make the difference, it’s the efforts of two brothers that has made the huge difference and changed the face of the whole poultry business.

They have 1.5 acres of land for breeding purpose and 2 acres of land for commercial layer purpose. Today, they have around 12000 hens in breeding farm and 18-20,000 hens in the commercial farm.

To make their farm functioning easier and automatic gradually with the time they managed to install 8 machines in the poultry farm, and cost of each machine is around 3 lakhs. They have employed around 25 workers to manage their farm and machines along with them. Mandeep Singh and Ramandeep especially take care of cleanliness, hygiene of the poultry farm. Even Mandeep Singh’s son Dr. Jasdeep Singh is also associated with the poultry farm business. As a veterinary doctor, Jasdeep Singh plays a major role in taking care of the chicken’s health personally. He ensures that every chicken is healthy and free of any kind of disease to maintain the good quality of poultry products. He gives all the required vaccination as per the requirement and quarantines the chicken if any kind of disease or symptom is found.

A joint effort made by the two brothers 7 years back has turned the small poultry farm business value in millions. Today they supply their poultry product all around the Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. They also train and guide the people who come to them to get an idea to start their own poultry farm business. And Dr. Jasdeep Singh also helps people by telling them that which kind of feed and vaccination they should give to their chickens to maintain the quality of their poultry products. In future, this 2 brothers-son trio are planning to expand their business and make their poultry farm products available in farther areas also.

Message by Bhagat Singh’s Sons
“Nowadays, farmers are committing suicide, they should not do so. They should think that what will happen to their family after them, their family is dependent on them, and thus this is not a way to get rid of their responsibilities. Farmers should think about how to make their skills beneficial for themselves and how to process their crops so that it will give them profit in the coming time. Now, farmers have to start farming in a smart way and they have to sell their produce themselves in order to get the right price of their crops.”

THE MAN BEHIND THE SUCCESS OF MANY AGRIPRENEURS ACROSS INDIA

In the absence of right information, sound agri-marketing facilities and proper counselings, the farmer of today has to depend upon local traders and middlemen for the disposal of his farm produce, which is sold at throw-away price. To put an end to this overbearing agony of the Indian farmer, Dr. Ramandeep, Professor of Business Management at Punjab Agricultural University along with his team decided to help the farmers in developing new agri-based products and concepts that have greater acceptability amongst the consumers, and in the process helped them to supplement their incomes and also enter into the global markets. Dr. Ramandeep Singh firmly believes that the farmer of today should pursue the path of ‘product development and marketing’ in order to seek an assured market, higher returns, low risk factors and a continuous parallel source of income.

Realizing the power of Social Media, Dr. Ramandeep has been successful in connecting farmers in more than 12000 agri-households to come on a common platform and share information with one another, regarding innovative farming techniques, pricing of products, branding and packaging, studying consumer needs and tastes, and direct marketing of products through the online and offline modes so as to make the concept of farm to table a vibrant reality. Dr. Ramandeep Singh has pioneered the use of WhatsApp, Facebook and YouTube as the media for extension education by encouraging more and more farmers across the globe to join these groups.

His social media groups play a very crucial role in the dissemination of latest and useful agricultural information. They are reaching a wide range of audience at a very fast rate; they serve as a veritable instrument not only for information dissemination but also for stimulating farmers’ interest in new ideas and practices in agriculture.

As a result of these record-breaking initiatives by Dr. Ramandeep and his team, a large number of farmers have learnt about the concept of ‘product development’ and started implementing the same. This has not just made them realise the importance and potential of their own produce, but has also helped them become self-sufficient. From encouraging farmers that own a dairy farm to create end-products like cheese, ice cream and so on from the milk to helping beekeepers to sell honey under their own brand name, Dr. Ramandeep’s success stories are endless. Believing in the fact that the youth of today can contribute a lot in the agricultural sector if guided properly, Dr. Ramandeep makes himself available for interaction with the students and youth at the formal platforms during Guest Lectures, Seminars and Conferences and also for guidance and consulting on an informal basis.

You too can be a part of Dr. Ramandeep Singh’s enthusiasm for ushering change by joining his WhatsApp Groups, by the name of Punjab Agri Brand, Punjab Honey, Punjab Poly House, Punjab Innovative, Punjab Horticulture, Punjab Young Farmers, Young Innovative Farmers, Punjab Global, Punjab Farm Tourism, Punjab Tomato, Punjab on Farm markets, Punjab Mushrooms, Punjab YFC Sathiala, Progressive Farmers Punjab, Young Innovative Farmers, NFA Sri Mukatsar Sahib, PB, Horticulture Farmers NFA, Potato Growers, Punjab PHC PAU. Dr. Singh is also administering the following Facebook groups: Foundation for Agri Businesss Awareness and Education, Punjabi Young Innovative farmers and Agri preneurs, Progressive Bee Keepers Association.

A lot of Indian television and radio channels have invited Dr. Ramandeep Singh on their shows to gain insight on his deep knowledge of agriculture research, marketing and management practices, networking for social change and transformation in the agrarian society. Today, almost every household in Punjab is thankful to Dr. Ramandeep for his remarkable contribution towards the concept of agri preneurship in the state.