The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has chosen six progressive farmers and one diligent woman entrepreneur for felicitation on the eve of the Kisan Mela event to recognize Punjab's dedicated agricultural community at the University campus in Ludhiana on March 14. These outstanding individuals will receive plaques, citations, and cash prizes in appreciation of their remarkable achievements and contributions to the agricultural sector.
A resident of village Ugrahan in district Sangrur, Sardar Dhana Singh will be feted with the “Chief Minister Award” for excelling in vegetable nursery raising and cultivation. Practising vegetable cultivation for the last 14 years, this untiring small farmer, despite owning only four acres of land and acquiring five acres on lease, has emerged as an immense source of stimulation for fellow farmers. He is raising vegetable nurseries of onion, cauliflower, chilli, tomato and brinjal; and cultivating tomato, cucumber, bottle gourd, pea, cauliflower and chilli using low tunnel technology and sprinkler irrigation. He also motivates other farmers to adopt bed planting, nursery raising and plastic mulch for successful vegetable cultivation; and seed production of onion as well as processing of turmeric and chilli for fiscal benefits.
Hailing from the village Arayan Wala Kalan in district Faridkot, Sardar Jagtar Singh will receive the “Chief Minister Award” for unleashing his indefatigable spirits in horticulture. This 53-year-old progressive farmer is a graduate and practices farming on 100 acres of area including 41 acres of his ancestral land. Having a strong bent of mind towards diversification, he is growing red chilli, potato, tomato, arbi, and cauliflower among vegetables; maize, watermelon and moong among other crops; and basmati for water conservation. Besides, he is earning big bucks via dairy and poultry farming; and supplies milk produced by Murrah and Nili Ravi buffaloes.
Two “CRI Pump Awards” will be bestowed upon farmers, namely Sardar Taranjit Singh from Bugra village of district Hoshiarpur; and Sardar Randhir Singh Bhullar from Salana Jiwan Singh Wala village of district Fatehgarh Sahib.
Engaged in scientific farming on 242 acres comprising 32 acres of his ancestral land and 210 acres on lease, Sardar Taranjit Singh has set a fine example in natural resource conservation, farm expenses’ reduction and income augmentation through farm mechanization. Seeking regular guidance from KVK Hoshiarpur, this tireless farmer uses a Laser Land Leveller for saving water; Trencher for sugarcane cultivation; PAU Super SMS for crop residue management; and Happy Seeder, Super Seeder and Smart Seeder for timely sowing and better yield. This dairy and poultry farmer has also set up a unit for jaggery processing as well as Shakkar making.
A 65-year-old Sardar Balkar Singh, residing in the village Sawal of district Kapurthala, will be felicitated with the “Jathedar Gurdita Singh Mahal Memorial Award” for emerging as a beacon of optimism in horticulture. Carrying out farm operations on a total of 13 acres of land, this meticulous farmer has been honoured twice by the Punjab government in 2013 and 2016 for achieving great strides in the field of horticulture. Being a sensible farmer, he avoids indiscriminate use of Agro-chemicals through the cultivation of horticultural crops, saves water by using sprinkler irrigation for strawberry and vegetable cultivation, and protects the environment by not burning paddy straw.
An owner of three acres of land, Manjit Kaur, hailing from Nila Naloya village of Hoshiarpur district, will be presented “Sardarni Prakash Kaur Sra Memorial Award” for carving a niche in entrepreneurship. This matriculate and diploma holder is running a self-help group “Mother Teresa” as its President and deeply engrossed in the making of pickles, chutneys and squashes; turmeric powder; bajra flour; gur and shakkar making; and pulses processing. Besides, she is also involved in natural farming and sows ghiya kaddu, ram tori, basmati, millets, bajra and maize in the kharif season; and wheat, peas, chickpea, sarson, etc. in the rabi season.
A 52-year-old Sardar Ranjit Singh Bajwa, belonging to village Fatehullapur of district Hoshiarpur, will be honoured with the “Chief Minister Award” for leveraging his agricultural spirit in crop production and subsidiary occupations. He is cultivating wheat, sugarcane and poplar; and using water-saving technologies for irrigation, and paddy straw management technologies for environmental protection. Besides, he is growing gobhi sarson for oil production; raising vegetable nurseries for nutritional benefits, and practising beekeeping and mushroom cultivation as well as dairy and poultry farming for economic progress. Not only this, he is a successful entrepreneur who produces and supplies high-quality jaggery to consumers.
Associated with farming for the last 25 years, Sardar Randhir Singh Bhullar has made a mark in the organic cultivation of wheat, til, chickpea, jeeri, mash, moong, sugarcane and vegetables. A strong promoter of pesticide-free production, he uses organic manure and vermicompost to enhance soil health; moong, Jantar and guar as green manure; and neem oil, jeev amrit and traps for disease management in crops. A member of PAU Organic Farmers’ Club as well as PAU Aromatic and Spice Crops’ Club, this hard-working farmer is also into self-marketing of pulses, vegetables and other crops.
For the first time, the Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has decided to reward the farmer posthumously during the Kisan Mela. Sardar Gulzar Singh of village Beas, district Jalandhar, will be awarded “CRI Pump Award” posthumously for adopting water management techniques and contributing to water conservation. Sardar Gulzar Singh, who cultivated various crops on 161 acres of land including 11 acres of owned and 150 acres on lease, had laid down underground water pipes for direct seeding of rice. He also harvested rainwater through recharge well, for which he had constructed shed on 2 acres and conserved 40 lakh litres of water every year. To meet the domestic requirements, he sowed oilseeds and pulses as well as made judicious use of water for irrigation. Holding vast agricultural experience of 40 years, this farmer always sought technical guidance from Farm Advisory Service Centre, Jalandhar.
