Young Punjab Farmer Turns Paddy Straw into Rs 16 Lakh Profit With an Innovative Approach

Gurpreet Singh Kuthala, a young and enterprising 26-year-old farmer from the village of Ferozepur Kuthala nestled in  Punjab's Malerkotla district, is weaving a narrative by changing the farming game with his innovative success story.

In a region where dealing with paddy straw has long been a challenge for farmers, Gurpreet saw an opportunity waiting to be seized. Armed with a basic education and 40 acres of land, he made a strategic move by investing in specialized machinery, with the state government providing invaluable support through a generous 50% subsidy for his straw rake and baler.

Gurpreet's journey to prosperity commenced when he entered into a contract with the Sangrur RNG Bio Gas Plant in Panjgaraian last year. This deal involved supplying an impressive 12,000 quintals of paddy straw bales and brought him earnings of approximately Rs 16 lakh. It was a glimpse of the promising opportunities on the horizon.

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Gurpreet, alongside his friend Sukhwinder Singh, acquired an additional quartet of machines—two balers and two rakes. His vision knows no limits, as he aspires to exceed Rs 1 crore in earnings this year.

In his contracts, he's committed to delivering 18,000 quintals of paddy straw bales, each priced at Rs 160 per quintal. Additionally, there's an extra charge of Rs 10 per bale for transporting them to the Sangrur RNG Bio Gas Plant. Furthermore, he's established firm arrangements to provide 5,000 quintals of straw bales to the Amritsar district and another 5,000 quintals to support the local Gujjar community through Pusav Beler in Mansa.

He plans to stockpile around 20,000 quintals of bales, sourced from his own land and neighboring villages, to supply paper mills and bio-CNG plants during the off-season, commanding an estimated rate of Rs 280 per quintal. Additionally, he intends to collect roughly 18,000 quintals of bales from an expansive 1,125-acre area in Malerkotla.

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Gurmeet Singh Khudian, the State Agriculture Minister, has lauded Gurpreet's dedication to environmental preservation and urged fellow farmers to take inspiration from his example. The minister sees Gurpreet's story as an inspiring model for the farming community and encourages them to support the government's campaign against crop residue burning, which benefits society as a whole.

To further boost this initiative, the government is making nearly 24,000 crop residue management (CRM) machines, including surface seeders, available at subsidized rates for farmers in the upcoming harvest season. This decision aims to curtail incidents of paddy straw burning and enhance the overall management of crop residue.

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