Manjit Singh, a 59-year-old landless farmer from Faridkot’s Kotkapura, has rewritten the story of tenant farming along with his willpower, innovation and quality-focused practices. Farming on practically 10 acres of rented land, Singh has turned turmeric cultivation right into a profitable enterprise, incomes Rs 4 lakh per acre yearly, regardless of paying a excessive land lease of Rs 80,000 per acre. His success highlights the ability of onerous work and strategic planning in agriculture.
A graduate and expert stenographer in English, Singh’s journey into farming roots in his childhood. His household as soon as owned 2.5 acres, however because of his mom’s extended sickness, the land was bought within the mid-Eighties, leaving them landless. Undeterred, Singh started working with Punjab Agricultural College (PAU) on Built-in Pest Administration (IPM) tasks for cotton and Basmati. He later took up roles in multinational pesticide corporations, gaining invaluable agricultural expertise.
Within the Nineties, Singh’s life remodeled after he began farming by renting small holdings. By 2010, he turned absolutely dedicated to farming leasing bigger plots to develop turmeric and different money crops. He describes his motto, “Haldi is Wholesome,” underlining his dedication to selling well being advantages of turmeric whereas setting a shining instance for tenant farmers.
Singh has been cultivating turmeric for over a decade, dedicating all 4 acres of rented land to this high-demand crop. Turmeric, sown in April and harvested 10 months later in February, is a low-water crop with important yield potential. Every acre produces 90-100 quintals of uncooked turmeric making 15-16 quintals of turmeric powder after processing. Singh sells his processed turmeric powder for Rs 400 per kg in retail markets and Rs 300 per kg to wholesalers. Apparently, he depends solely on word-of-mouth promotion, constantly sustaining high-quality requirements.
“Turmeric and well being go hand in hand. Even the phrase ‘haldi’ seems like ‘wholesome’,” Singh emphasises, mentioning turmeric’s historic use as a first-aid treatment and its continued presence in fashionable merchandise like toothpaste, ayurvedic medicines, and wonder merchandise. Sharing an anecdote, he remembers, “As soon as, a military airplane crashed close to our village, and we villagers rushed to the location with haldi-mixed milk to deal with the injured due to its medicinal properties.”
Singh cultivates each Desi turmeric on most of his land and PH-1, a spread developed by Punjab Agricultural College (PAU), utilizing seeds he prepares himself. His turmeric powder even garners worldwide orders, showcasing the large attain of his enterprise.
“One acre of turmeric cultivation wants about 8 quintals of seeds, costing Rs 50,000. As well as, Rs 70,000 is spent on labour, farmyard manure, harvesting, transportation and processing, whereas Rs 80,000 on land lease,” Singh explains. “One acre produces 15-16 quintals of processed powder, which could be bought for Rs 5.5 to Rs 6 lakh in wholesale and retail markets. After masking all bills, the web revenue is between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 4 lakh per acre.”
Singh, nevertheless, emphasises success requires relentless effort. “I go to the sector each day, carefully monitoring crops and guaranteeing the best high quality requirements are maintained,” he says.
As well as, Singh cultivates garlic for seeds and consumption on one other 4 acres. He additionally experiments with ginger Basmati and barley (PL-891 selection), which he considers extremely nutritious. Singh additional diversifies his earnings by producing and promoting vegetable nurseries, together with onions, to satisfy native demand.
With in depth data and expertise, Singh has develop into a trusted advisor for fellow farmers, incomes the nickname ‘Kheti Da Physician (Physician of Agriculture)’. “Each time and wherever farmers name me, I am going,” he says, reflecting his dedication in the direction of the farming group. His experience has been recognised by quite a few awards from establishments akin to PAU, Haryana Agricultural College, and IARI, Pusa.
Regardless of all this success, Singh faces systemic challenges as a tenant farmer. “I don’t qualify for presidency subsidies and advantages, which go on to landowners,” he says. “Subsidies for hybrid crop varieties and different farming incentives bypass tenant farmers, despite the fact that a number of landowners aren’t engaged in farming and obtain enormous rents. These advantages ought to go to those that domesticate crops.”
Highlighting the necessity for coverage reforms, Singh urges the federal government to recognise tenant farmers who represent about 20-30 per cent of Punjab’s agricultural workforce. “The federal government should present subsidies and incentives primarily based on crops tenant farmers develop,” he says.
Singh additionally emphasises the significance of diversified farming. “In contrast to a majority farmer, together with the large-scale farmers who usually deal with monoculture crops like wheat and paddy and have the assets to affix protests, farmers like me prioritise diversification, which is important. We spend most of our time in fields.”
“Exhausting work is the one key to success. I urge farmers to dedicate themselves to producing high-quality crops, and transfer away from large-scale wheat and paddy cultivation,” Singh says. “Punjab wants a shift towards sustainable and diversified agriculture. There is no such thing as a scarcity of markets, however we should suppose out of the field,” he says.
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