Amarjit Singh- Successfully Practicing Diversified Farming & Coming Up As An Emerging KhetiPreneur

I’m Amarjit Singh, a resident of Gharuan Village, Mohali (Punjab). In my family, I have my wife, a daughter, and a son. By qualification, I am 10th passed and before starting farming I was a job person in private sector. One day I realized that it’s better to start farming instead of running behind a job which doesn’t even satisfy my basic needs.

I started farming in 2007, at that time; I had no concrete idea that farming will take me into which direction. Then I thought of taking professional advice and I attended PAU training and visited different states and learned new methods and techniques of farming. I also took turmeric cultivation and processing training from Calicut, Kerala.

Training taught me a lot about the adulterated food products and the difference between organic and chemically grown crops. And after getting the insight, I decided of farming by using the natural method only. From the last two years, I’m only using organic manure in my farm and no fertilizers and pesticides.

I have 1.5 acres of land near the Chandigarh- Ludhiana highway and currently, I am farming on that land and according to the need, I also take land on rent for farming purpose. One year back I also opened a restaurant cum On-Farm-Market by the name Kisan Junction, to sell the farmer’s processed products and provide customers pure and clean food. Other than organic farming, I’m also actively involved in dairy farming and I have 8 buffaloes.

I have also formed a group called Shri Dhanna Bhagat Farmers Club in Gharuan and I am the president of this group; Purpose of this group is to discuss that which type of seeds we should use or buy and modern ways to implement farming etc.

I also provide Institutional training to IAS probationers and the director has also visited my farm. My future plan is to expand the on-road-farm market business and make other farmers aware that what benefits and profits they can earn from doing farming and how.

Farming sector is going through major difficulties and farmers always talk about their rights, not their responsibilities. The government is not going to come forward and help farmers every time. Farmers have to take the initiative and help themselves. PAU had 6 months training program, in which a farmer is trained from the beginning of land preparation to sowing to marketing the product. So, from now on, the farmer has to take responsibility on their own shoulders if they want to earn a good livelihood from agriculture.