Nestled in the sacred landscape of Haridwar, Uttarakhand, Lakhbir Singh is sowing not just seeds, but visions for a more sustainable and florally vibrant future. With a robust academic background, holding a post-graduate degree in Economics, a Master of Social Science, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Rural Development, Lakhbir’s life could have followed any number of conventional career paths. Yet, it is the land, legacy, and the lure of farming that have shaped his journey.
Born into a family of traditional rice and wheat cultivators, he inherited both the ancestral land and an unyielding connection to agriculture. But Lakhbir Singh didn’t stop at tradition, he reimagined it.
Venturing Beyond Grains: A Floricultural Turning Point
About seven years ago, Lakhbir Singh made a bold shift from conventional grain cultivation to floriculture, with a special focus on roses. His inspiration? The religious and cultural context of Haridwar, often referred to as Dev Bhoomi, the Land of the Gods where flowers are intricately woven into the spiritual and celebratory fabric of life. Whether offered in sacred rituals along the Ganges or arranged in bouquets during festivals and family functions, flowers, especially roses hold immense sentimental and market value.
Understanding this consistent demand, Lakhbir turned his attention toward cultivating multiple varieties of roses specifically suited for bouquet-making. With characteristics like longer shelf life, strong stems, vibrant hues, and high keeping quality, his rose collection is a visual delight.
Step into his polyhouse, and you are greeted by rows of blooming reds, soft pinks, elegant whites, and cheerful yellows, a carefully curated rainbow of floral excellence. These flowers are primarily sold in the bustling markets of Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Dehradun, where demand is consistently high, especially during the tourist and wedding seasons.
Role of Protected Cultivation in Ensuring Floral Excellence
Growing roses is a delicate business, romantic in appearance but riddled with challenges. Mountainous climates like that of Uttarakhand often come with unpredictable temperature fluctuations, heavy rainfall, and sharp winters, all of which can be detrimental to delicate floral crops. Roses, being particularly sensitive, are prone to pest attacks, fungal diseases, and physical damage from harsh weather.
Lakhbir’s solution was to adopt protected cultivation, the practice of growing crops under controlled environments such as polyhouses. The structure provides an ideal microclimate where temperature, humidity, and light exposure can be regulated. This not only minimizes the chances of pest infestations and diseases but also allows year-round production, ensuring a continuous supply to the market. Protected cultivation has significantly improved the quality of blooms, reduced crop losses, and helped Lakhbir maintain consistency in his production and income.
Turning Waste into Wealth: Embracing Organic Inputs
One of the key turning points in Lakhbir Singh’s journey as a progressive farmer was his decision to transition toward organic practices. Conscious of the long-term damage caused by chemical fertilizers and pesticides to both soil and human health, he began formulating his own organic fertilizers on the farm.
Using cow dung, cow urine, dried leaves, and leftover rose clippings, Lakhbir developed a potent compost mixture that replenishes soil fertility and supports healthy plant growth. This self-made compost not only enhances microbial activity in the soil but also helps cut down significantly on input costs. He has further incorporated neem oil and crushed neem kernels into his pest management practices, which serve as natural deterrents for common pests and fungal infections. These eco-friendly practices have transformed his rose farming into a low-input, high-efficiency model, striking a balance between profitability and sustainability.
Building a Farmer Collective: Birth of Nav Gurukul FPO
Lakhbir Singh’s vision extends beyond the boundaries of his own farmland. Driven by a passion for community-based development, he recently spearheaded the formation of a Farmer Producer Organisation (FPO) named Nav Gurukul. The initiative, still in its early stages, has already brought together 450 farmers from the surrounding areas. Most members are engaged in crop production and livestock rearing.
Through Nav Gurukul, Lakhbir envisions creating a shared platform for knowledge exchange, resource pooling, and collective marketing. One of the key objectives of the FPO is to streamline the production and distribution of dairy products. Lakhbir plans to leverage this network to build a robust milk procurement and marketing system in the coming years, thereby adding a steady and additional income source for member farmers.
The FPO also aims to facilitate access to government schemes, farm machinery, and financial credit, services that are often out of reach for small and marginal farmers operating independently. By working together under a structured entity, the members can benefit from economies of scale and negotiate better prices for their produce.
Plans for Expansion: From Flowers to Food Crops
While Lakhbir Singh’s rose cultivation continues to flourish, he is not resting on his laurels. He has already set his sights on the next phase of diversification. Plans are underway to convert an additional two acres of his farmland into vegetable cultivation. The decision is strategic, vegetables have a high turnover rate, shorter crop cycles, and consistent demand in both rural and urban markets.
With the skills and infrastructure already in place, Lakhbir believes integrating floriculture with vegetable farming will allow him to stabilize income streams throughout the year. His experience in organic composting and pest management will seamlessly translate into this new vertical, ensuring quality produce free from chemical residues.
Economic Impact: A Blooming Business
Though figures fluctuate seasonally, Lakhbir Singh’s rose cultivation under protected conditions has been significantly profitable. With a consistent customer base in key towns like Haridwar, Rishikesh, and Dehradun, and a focus on quality over quantity, he has been able to command premium prices for his flowers. His annual turnover from floriculture alone is 10 Lakhs. By minimizing input costs through in-house organic composting and maximizing output through climate-controlled polyhouses, Lakhbir has developed a model that is not only environmentally sustainable but also highly profitable.
In recognition of his exemplary work in horticulture and sustainable farming, Lakhbir Singh was felicitated by the Governor of Uttarakhand in 2024, an honour that highlights his growing influence in the agricultural sector. His innovative practices and community-focused approach have also earned him a valuable place in the Global Farmer Business Network (GFBN), where he is regarded as a key asset and role model for fellow farmers across the country.
With plans to expand his activities into vegetable cultivation and dairy production under the Nav Gurukul FPO, his income is projected to grow further. More importantly, his efforts are paving the way for collective prosperity, positively impacting the livelihoods of hundreds of small and marginal farmers who are now part of his farmer producer organization.
Lakhbir Singh’s story is more than that of a successful floriculturist. It is the narrative of a visionary who is redefining farming in the hill regions of Uttarakhand. By incorporating traditional knowledge with modern agricultural practices, and by fostering community collaboration through Nav Gurukul FPO, he is shaping a new paradigm, one that places equal emphasis on ecology, economy, and empowerment.
As roses bloom under the protective shelter of his polyhouses, so too does a vision of resilient, community-driven agriculture. Lakhbir Singh stands as a testament to what’s possible when one dares to look beyond the obvious, and cultivates not just crops but hope, harmony, and holistic growth.
Note: Global Farmer Business Network (GFBN) is a dynamic platform where agricultural professionals, farmer entrepreneurs, innovators, buyers, investors, and policymakers - converge to share knowledge, experiences, and scale their businesses. Powered by Krishi Jagran, GFBN facilitates meaningful connections and collaborative learning opportunities that drive agricultural innovation and sustainable development through shared expertise. Join GFBN today: https://millionairefarmer.in/gfbn
