Moga’s progressive woman farmer awarded for innovation, focus on allied activities

› The journey started in 1997, a year after marriage. We had six animals and six acre of ancestral land then. The credit for my success goes to my husband.

PARAMJIT KAUR, progressive farmer, Ajitwal village, Moga

LUDHIANA :Paramjit Kaur, 48, of Ajitwal village in Moga, is a one-of-a-kind woman farmer and entrepreneur.

In a state, where farm suicides are frequent, this graduate in arts has set an example in running innovative agriculture for over two decades now, mainly through her focus on staying away from the wheat-paddy cycle.

Recognising her efforts, Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has conferred the Sardarni Jagbir Kaur Grewal Memorial Innovative Woman Farmer Award for Agriculture and Allied Agriculture Enterprises in the state for this year on Paramjit. She will be felicitated during the Kisan Mela on campus on Saturday (September 21).

The award carries ₹3,100, a plaque and a citation. The citation recognises her contribution to allied farming activities like dairy. Late Sardarni Jagbir Kaur, after whom the award is named, was the wife of Mohinder Singh Grewal, former member, Commission for Agriculture Costs and Price. The couple had practised intensive agriculture and crop diversification and had successfully cultivated five crops a year at the farm.

‘WEARS MANY HATS’

She owns 31 acre and has hired another 25 acre on contract. Her contribution to innovative farming has been in cultivating chickpea, moong, javi and berseem during rabi and basmati and maize during kharif season. She has ventured into livestock and owns 68 cows and buffaloes; agriculture equipment is also rented out to

farmers. She also runs a grocery store, where she sells products manufactured at her dairy unit. Besides she has also ventured into arthiya

system and also running a footwear manufacturing unit.

“Paramjit’s ability to run various ventures and her simplicity of life makes her a role model,” says Amanpreet Kaur, assistant professor, at Krishi Vigyan Kendras Moga.

“The journey started in 1997, a year after marriage. We had six animals and six acre of ancestral land. We decided to grow our business. The credit for my success goes to my husband Sukhmander Singh, who faced chauvinist backlash from the male-dominated society, but continued to support me,” says Paramjit.

She also counts her children, son Mantaj Singh and daughter Sukhmanjot, who are pursuing BSc agriculture and BTech agriculture, respectively, from PAU, as her pillars of strength.