Farmer who Grows Hundreds of Fruits and Vegetables In One Orchard!

Gurdeep Singh recently went live on Krishi Jagran’s Facebook page.

Gurdeep Singh is an independent farmer based in Jawalamukhi, Himachal Pradesh. He has cultivated a sprawling, 55 kanal orchard on his land. Singh grows chikoo and many varieties of mango including langda, chausa, dusheri, and alphonso. He is especially proud of his chikoos which, he says, are larger in size than an average cricket ball. There are also other fruit plants in his orchard like pomegranates and mosambi.

Thanks to a scheme by ATMA (Agricultural Technology Management Agency), Singh learnt at Panchayat-level meetings the art of cultivating fruit plants. They first sowed mango seeds and then did grafting on them. Along with Singh, there are many other farmers who practice similar techniques on their orchard. Moreover, they grow vegetables along with fruits: taro, cauliflower, broccoli, beetroot, and fenugreek are some of the vegetables they grow.

The most important thing, Singh says, is that they market their vegetables themselves. In an exposure visit organized by Agriculture Department, he visited Rythu Bazaar in Hyderabad and observed how farmers directly marketed their products. This eliminates the role of middlemen and farmers get the full benefits of what is sold. 

Singh displays his roadside vendor store to Krishi Jagran’s correspondent as he explains how it gives him a greater control of his own livelihood.

At the silver jubilee of CSK Himachal Pradesh Agricultural University, Palampur, Singh was awarded the “Kisan Doot” award. He emphasizes how he has been helped by various governmental entities in the country at each step of his farming career.

Singh’s message to all the farmers of the country is to diversify the range of the crops and plants they grow. He urges them to give up working on just traditional crops and experiment as much as they can. For instance, he says, farmers can grow cucumbers, turmeric, ginger and other vegetables and fruits. He also asks the job-seeking youth of India to move in the direction of farming and self-dependency.