Phuman Singh Kaurra grew up as the youngest among six siblings in Paramjitpura, a village in Kapurthala, Punjab. Hailing from a farmer’s family, he saw his father and grandfather toil in the fields, struggling to make ends meet.
The situation was so dire that Phuman Singh had to discontinue his education after BA second year. He started helping his family as they could no longer afford his college fees. He would work in their paddy and wheat field, along with running their dairy farm. Noting that this wasn’t profitable and would be unsustainable in the long run, the young boy started looking at other options to improve their financial condition.
While looking around, Phuman Singh found carrot farming to be a viable option. Paramjitpura, also known as Allupur, falls in the Sultanpur Lodhi block in Kapurthala district which is a famous hub for carrot cultivation. Therefore, he sought help from a carrot farmer who was cultivating the vegetable on a small piece of land.
However, instead of helping him, the farmer chided him saying that this would not be his cup of tea. Spurned, it only made Phuman’s resolve to make a name for himself as a carrot farmer stronger. And over the past 30 years, this 65-year-old has proven that farmer wrong and how.
Starting on a 4.5 acre land, Phuman turned around his family’s fortunes through carrot farming.
Today, his family, including his two brothers, owns over 80 acres of land, primarily focused on carrot farming. Beyond growing carrots, he also supplies seeds — enough to plant over 650 acres.
Farming with his son, he earns over Rs 1 crore a year today through carrot and seed cultivation.
Carrot: The road to prosperity
As a young boy, Phuman Singh had big ambitions. He wished to go abroad for higher education and work. However, his dreams were cut short due to poverty.
“Since I couldn’t go abroad, I started working on our wheat and paddy farm. We would sell the milk from our dairy and since that wasn’t enough, I also worked on a poultry farm for two years,” Phuman Singh shares with The Better India.
Keenly aware of his surroundings and the profitability of carrots, Phuman Singh embarked on a journey to prosperity starting in 1993. According to the Punjab Agricultural University, carrot is grown in over 1,200 hectares of land in the district, mainly being confined to Sultanpur Lodhi.
“The farmer who refused to help me ignited a spark in me. That day I told him that I will make a name for myself through carrots and show you chacha (uncle),” he recalls.
Reading books and visiting the agricultural university nearby, he learnt the nitty gritties of carrot farming. He then proceeded to boldly plant carrot seeds in all 4.5 acres of their family land. The experiment proved successful and there has been no looking back ever since.
“Carrots have never disappointed me,” smiles the 65-year-old.
Who says that one needs a degree to succeed? Ambitious, resilient and smart, Phuman Singh jumped head first into carrot farming. He made up for that through his resourcefulness. He attended the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) programmes and learnt about newer varieties and techniques which he used in his farm.
Initially, they would have to sow the seeds manually and travel to markets as far as Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Amritsar to sell the produce. However, over time, they secured machines to sow the seeds. As the quality of their carrots was good and they earned a name for themselves, sellers started coming to their farm. Today, Phuman Singh doesn’t have to visit any market to sell his produce, the market comes to him.
He has achieved mastery in carrot cultivation, according to Dr Harinder Singh, Associate Director, Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK), Kapurthala. “Vegetable cultivation is no joke. It takes perfection, and involves a lot of risk as sales are not assured. Singh has been growing carrots for over 30 years, and has perfected the art,” says Dr Harinder.
Sowing seeds for a brighter future
As the land under use increased from 4.5 acres to over 30 acres, the Allupur resident decided to start growing his own seeds too.
“We would earlier buy seeds from Patiala. About 10 years back, we first started growing seeds for our own use. As the quality and output was good, we slowly started producing excess seeds, which others started purchasing. Today, we have sufficient seeds to plant over 650 acres,” he shares.
He sells the seeds for Rs 1,000-1,500 per kg, depending on the demand. People from across the district buy their seeds, he claims.
From owning 4.5 acres of land when he took over, his family today owns a total of 80 acres of land, out of which 37 belongs to Phuman Singh. He will be leasing 13 more acres to cultivate carrots on a total of 50 acres of this land.
Carrots are sown between 15 September to 15 October and follow a 90-100 day harvesting cycle. He harvests the carrots from 20 December to 25 March.
“We harvest at least 110 quintals of carrots per acre, which can also go up to 250 quintals. When the rates are good, you can earn very well through this humble vegetable,” he says.
Besides carrots, he also cultivates rice and maize, which is harvested in September. He claims to earn an income of Rs 1 crore per year.
From not being able to go abroad for his studies, he has now been able to send both his sons abroad for their education (one of whom has returned to help him), bought a house, over 30 acres of land, along with the latest equipment.
“All this happened thanks to carrot farming. They never broke my heart,” he says.
Phuman Singh’s home also doubles up as a carrot farming school, where he helps anyone interested. No young farmer is sent away without their questions being answered.
“We have at least four farmers who come home daily to learn. I explain whatever I know in detail. I even visit their farms to teach them practically. I’m always available to help,” he shares.
To every aspiring farmer, he says, “Don’t lose hope. All you need to succeed is determination. Nothing is impossible.”
Edited by Padmashree Pande, Images Courtesy Phuman Singh
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