Sangrur man sets example with progressive farming techniques

Sushil Goyal

Tribune News Service

Sangrur, June 17

A matriculate and 46-year-old progressive farmer Harwinder Singh from Bhadalwad village, about 7 km from Dhuri, is a living example for the farming community as he adopts various techniques for the conservation of natural resources like water and soil while cultivating 32 acres.

This year, he was honoured with “The Chief Minister Award for Innovative Farmers in Agriculture”.

Harwinder, who has an experience of about 30 years in farming, owns 23 acres and he takes nine acres on lease.

For conservation of natural resources, he levels his fields with a laser land leveller and uses fertiliser on the basis of the soil test report. He opts to grow green manure crops and ploughs back wheat residue into the soil for augmenting soil fertility. He has also laid underground water pipes for irrigation.

Harwinder also believes in crop diversification. In 2014, he had grown sugarcane on 12 acres, basmati on 10 acres, paddy on 8 acres, banana on an acre and soybean/kitchen gardening on an acre. In 2014, he was also honoured by PAU Kisan Club, Ludhiana, with the Innovative Farmer Award for crop diversification.

Harwinder said he had been sowing the intercrop of mustard in the sugarcane crop and getting 7.5-10 quintals yield per acre.

He said he had motivated around 30 farmers not to burn wheat straw. Due to his efforts, these farmers have also stopped burning straw and are using it in their fields to improve soil fertility.

Harwinder had also got training in seed production in 2013 from Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kherri (Sangrur). Deputy Director, KVK Dr Mandeep Singh said Harwinder was now also in the business of seed production of sugarcane, wheat, basmati and paddy. He had even set up his own firm to sell the seeds, he said.

Dr Mandeep Singh said that in 2013-14, Harwinder — by adopting crop diversification — had earned a net profit of around Rs 70,000 per acre. He had earned the profit by sowing basmati, paddy, banana, sugarcane, mustard, wheat, onion, maize, fodder etc on 30 acres.