FOUR PROGRESSIVE FARMERS TO GET CHIEF MINISTER\'S AWARD IN PAU KISAN MELA

LUDHIANA, MARCH 23:-----



The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) will be honoring four progressive farmers of Punjab with \'Chief Minister Awards\' on March 21, the first day of Kisan Mela at Ludhiana. This was stated by the PAU Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Baldev Singh Dhillon while interacting with the media persons. Two farmers will get award in agriculture (S. Gulzar Singh and S. Jagdeep Singh) and two in horticulture (S. Meharban Singh and S. Surjit Singh Sandhu).



S. Gulzar Singh s/o. S. Inder Singh of village Kattu (Distt. Barnala) has excelled in agriculture. This 64 year old progressive farmer is cultivating on 20 acre ancestral land and has taken another 10 acres on lease. He has been in agriculture for the last 46 years. S. Gulzar Singh acknowledges that he has always been benefited from his contact with PAU. He has been actively associated with PAU farmers committee, PAU Kisan Club and District Agricultural Development Agency, ATMA. This progressive farmer has set up a Farmers Advisory Group athis village to connect other farmers with scientific methods. S. Gulzar Singh is a regular reader of PAU farm literature particularly Changi Kheti magazine and the Package of Practices for different farmers. He visits other agricultural institutes and Universities at Solan, Karnal and New Delhi and is a regular visitor to the Kisan Melas of PAU. He has won several awards from the Kisan Mela over the years.



S. Gulzar Singh believes in the rational use of natural resources and has taken a lead in water saving through zero tillage in wheat and laser land leveler for leveling his fields. He always transplants paddy after June 15 and saves nitrogen in paddy with the use of leaf color chart. S. Gulzar Singh applies irrigation by using tensio meter and has demonstrated the success or direct seeded rice and wheat on wider beds. He has used farm yard manure in 4 acres of land for the better soil health. Although Gulzar Singh is having only school education, yet his regular touch with the experts has helped him to show his concern for the progress of agriculture. He believes in production of pesticide free vegetables, fruits and pulses for domestic use through growing in home gardens. He has experimented successfully in the cultivation on turmeric and banana. He maintains 7 buffalos and 10 boxes for bee keeping.



S. Jagdeep Singh s/o. S. Natha Singh, resident of village Assal (Distt. Ferozepur) has made outstanding progress in agriculture. He cultivates 17 acre of ancestral land and has obtained 70 acres on lease. He is a dedicated farmer who specialises in dairy farming, mushroom growing and bee keeping. This 10+2 farmer is keen to acquire new knowledge and has even visited University of Wisconsin, USA. He uses laser land leveler for growing wheat and vegetable crops through better water use efficiency. He grows chillies on 7 acres, garlic on 2 acre, potato on 26 acres, cucumber on 2.5 acres and capsicum on 1 acre. He participated regularly in cattle melas at Mukatsar and Ferozepur Districts and won first and second prizes. He is maintaining contact with Nestle (Moga), Amul (Anand) and NDRI (Karnal) for learning scientific dairy farming and milk handling practices. S. Jagdeep Singh uses cattle dung and urine for biogas generation and uses manures in his fields. He uses solar energy for various purposes. He raises his own fodders for cattle on 49 acres. S. Jagdeep Singh has a 130 cow dairy farm in addition to 4 acre fish pond. He has developed techniques for bathing his cows efficiently. He is regular in touch with experts of PAU and other development departments.







S. Meharban Singh S/o S. Seetal Singh of village Saholi (Distt.Patiala) is a successful vegetable grower. Thirty seven year old, Meharban Singh is just 10+2 pass but is ranked among the top vegetable growers of the country. In the last 11 years he has been growing vegetable. With this sheen hard work and dedication, he has obtained better returns from vegetables than paddy-wheat cultivation. He has created his own marketing network to sell his produce. Starting from linkage with local market, he has done extensive study of national as well as international market. He went to London to explore the possibilities of export vegetable to Europe. \"Proper package and grading is very important for selling in market abroad,\" he says.



He has developed his own crop rotation for vegetable cultivation, getting training from National and International institutes has developed a model vegetable farm in his village. Scientists and farmers from other states come to see his farm which he has established on 15 acre land. (He owns 12 acres and has taken 3 acre on lease) Besides Punjab Agricultural University he has established strong linkages with Dairy Development Board and Thapar Polytechnic Patiala to seek new farm knowledge. For his excellence in vegetable cultivation, Sh. Meharban Singh has won Ujjagar Singh Dhaliwal Memorial Prize from PAU in 2007. His model farm is a great attraction for farmers from adjoining villages as well as from other states. A dairy farm, a vermi-compost unit, drip and sprinkler irrigation system, a mushroom farm- all these technologies have been integrated by him to make a model farm. He has special flared to produce off season vegetables which give him more income. He is adopted care of all the soil and water conservation technologies. Not only he makes efficient use of farm machines but he has also developed his own machines to make wide-beds for vegetable cultivation.



S. Surjit Singh Sandhu S/o. S. Shingara Singh Sandhu of village Arianwala (Distt. Kapurthala) has been selected for Chief Minister Award in Horticulture. He is graduate in science and postgraduate in English and has excelled in vegetable based horticulture. He has involved his 3 younger brothers and two sisters in farming after the demise of his father in 1976. He is in this profession for the last 34 years and cultivates 80 acre land. He has been honored for disease free nursery production in chilies and tomatoes by Pepsi Foods and department of Horticulture, Punjab.



S. Surjit Singh Sandhu is maintaining liaison with Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Kapurthala, He has excelled in Kinnow cultivation on 25 acres for the last four years and has adopted drip irrigation for water saving. He distributes the paddy straw to gujjar community rather than burning in the fields. He uses farm yard manure and cattle based for use as manure and in biogas. He has leveled his fields using laser land leveler. S. Surjit Singh Sandhu grows moong-bean in March and July in his orchards and has developed methods for successful cultivation of cucurbits, tomato, radish, carrot, gram and lentil. He believes in judicious use of resources. S. Sandhu has brought 25 acre under fruits and 10 acre under vegetable crops. He believes that farmers income can be augmented through auxiliary ventures such as poultry, goat farming, basket making and vegetable growing. He always experiments with new crops. He started production of healthy nursery of vegetable crops. His family members also support him in his farming profession. Visitors from within the country and abroad visit his farm. He shares his knowledge with other farmers through electronic and print media. He believes in self marketing of his farm produce. He maintains an active contact with scientists of KVKs and PAU.
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