Cancer makes woman farmer switch to organic farming

Aakanksha N Bhardwaj

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Jalandhar, March 14

A woman farmer, Manjit Kaur (62), from a nondescript village, Nila Naloya in Bhunga block, was conferred with then Sardari Prakash Kaur Sara Yadgari Award by Punjab Agricultural University. Hers is a story of resilience and strength.

Years ago, Manjit Kaur got to know that her daughter was suffering from cancer. The shocking revelation turned her life upside down and when doctors told her that adulterated food and chemical-laced crops were the main reason, she decided to shun chemicals and adopt natural farming.

Manjit Kaur says that she now sells vegetables, which are grown naturally, and most of her customers are those who are suffering from the deadly disease. Kaur also runs a self-help group (SHG) where she makes pickles and other eatables and sells them. Recently, she has also started selling organic bhujiya wherein she mixes homegrown nuts too.

Her husband Tarsem Singh, a retired Principal from a government school, helps her in farming activities.

While narrating how she changed the nature of her farming from chemical to organic, Manjit Kaur recounts, “I still remember the day I got to know about the disease from which my daughter was suffering. She has now recovered, but I was taken aback. I thought that if the vegetable I was growing was affecting my children, then what was its use? That was the time I decided to stop using insecticides.”

A progressive farmer, Manjit Kaur has already received several awards for her work.

“I want to do so much work that our endeavour gets acknowledged at the national level too. This has given me a lot of motivation,” Manjit Kaur added.

Runs SHG

• Manjit Kaur also runs a self-help group (SHG) where she makes pickles and other eatables and sells them. Recently, she has also started selling organic bhujiya wherein she puts homegrown nuts too.
• Her husband Tarsem Singh, a retired Principal from a government school, helps her in farming activities