Bachchattar Singh Garcha of Deh Kalan village, Punjab became to soybean cultivation and processing after incurring large losses in potato farming. He now runs an automated plant to procedure soybean into milk and tofu, clocking in an annual sale of as much as Rs 48 lakh.
Just about twenty years again, a couple of famend officers of the agriculture division travelled in a convoy to Deh Kalan village in Sangrur district of Punjab.
Those officers integrated Punjab Agriculture College (PAU) vice chancellor Dr GS Kallat and agriculture scientist Dr MS Swaminathan, popularly referred to as the Father of Inexperienced Revolution in India.
It was once throughout their assembly on the deputy commissioner’s place of business that they got here to find out about Bachchattar Singh Garcha’s soybean processing unit. Shocked on the novel initiative to procedure soybean in a area that was once ruled via wheat and paddy cultivation, they strived to satisfy the farmer.
“I used to be shocked to peer such a lot of officers out of doors my house,” the 65-year-old farmer recollects.
The common-or-garden farmer presented them freshly-prepared tofu and soy milk. “Dr Swaminathan ate paneer and had milk as neatly. He truly preferred the goods and requested me the place I advertised them,” he provides.
When he jokingly published to the scientist that he simply offers away the goods without cost, he was once shocked. However, that proved to be a turning level, says Bachchattar, as he by no means needed to give away his merchandise without cost after that.
With the aid of the PAU, he was once supplied marketplace linkage amenities and was once allocated a sale sales space on the campus.
Lately, Bachchattar runs an automated plant to procedure soybeans into milk and tofu.
Moreover, he prepares biscuits, namkeen, and mathri as by-products from the residual waste. Advertised underneath the ‘Vigour Soy Well being Milk’, he has advanced an enormous buyer base in Ludhiana, Sangrur, Dhuri, Barnala, Bathinda, and Rajpura districts, clocking an annual gross sales of greater than Rs 48 lakh.
From being a debt-ridden farmer to award successful agricultural processor
Previous to turning into a pioneer in soybean cultivation, farming was once no longer a mattress of roses for Bachchattar. Till the past due 90s, he reaped large earnings via rising potatoes.
On the other hand, an sudden glut out there incurred him losses of Rs 3 crores. His produce was once caught within the chilly garage for 3 consecutive years.
“Between 1998 and 2001, I couldn’t promote potatoes in any respect because of a surplus and there was once an excessively low call for. There was once a time once I may just no longer come up with the money for to buy a Rs 2 packet of salt. Uske bhi mere aukhe ho gaye the (Even purchasing that a lot was once tough for me),” he recollects.
The debt-ridden farmer was once compelled to promote 15-acre of his farmland — his most effective treasure.
“It was once extraordinarily tough for me to take the verdict of promoting my farmland. For any farmer, his land is his most effective treasure. I used to be so depressed that I wouldn’t pop out of my house for a 12 months and didn’t attend any weddings or native occasions for 4 years. I might make excuses to keep away from chatting with other people,” he provides.
On the other hand, after a while had handed, he recollected a business truthful which he attended in Delhi in 1993, showcasing some great benefits of soybean cultivation and processing.
With newfound decision, he underwent coaching in making ready soy milk and soy paneer from the Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering (CIAE), Bhopal in 2002.
Coming again, he established a small one-room manufacturing unit to provide soy milk and tofu. With out some other modes of selling the goods, he began giving them as samples to shoppers that got here to his grocery store.
“It was once difficult to marketplace this product in a spot the place other people most popular cow and buffalo milk. So, even if they preferred its style, they wouldn’t acquire it. My circle of relatives additionally puzzled me why I used to be production it once I had no shoppers. However I assumed in myself that someday, this paintings would scale up,” he provides.
It took him a 12 months to make the primary sale with the help of PAU.
Dr Mandeep Singh, Affiliate Director of Coaching on the Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) underneath PAU in Sangrur, says, “We have now been giving a platform to Bachchattar to arrange stalls on the KVK and spice up his paintings. We additionally advertise his merchandise on the kisan mela (farmer’s truthful). It’s immensely pleasant to peer him be triumphant after years of combat. We have now been looking to advertise value-addition and processing of goods for additonal earning within the area.”
Lately, Bachchattar has established an automated soybean processing plant. Relying at the call for, he says that he freshly prepares as much as 700 litres of milk and 4 quintals of tofu day-to-day. This earns him a benefit of Rs 10-12 lakh in keeping with 12 months.
Bachchattar has skilled his daughter-in-law, Karanveer, to regulate the day by day operations of the processing unit.
Karanveer, who has been serving to him for the previous 3 years, says, “He has no longer most effective taught me the processing paintings but additionally the learnings of his lifestyles. We must no longer surrender on onerous paintings without reference to ups and downs. Even if he has skilled me, he nonetheless is going to paintings each day regardless of his age. It’s actually inspirational. Seeing him, I’m wondering why we will’t be as lively as him.”
Curiously, he has won a large number of awards together with the State Award in 2003 and the Chaudhary Charan Singh Nationwide Award in 2004. He was once additionally facilitated with soil beverage of the 12 months 2023 award in reputation of his contribution to the Indian soy trade.
In the meantime, Bachchattar says, he reinvested his income into buying the land he had prior to now offered, reclaiming the possession of 7 out of the 15 acres of land.
“I’m hopeful to get all of the land that I needed to promote in dire instances. I began soybean processing at a time in Punjab when other people didn’t find out about soy milk or tofu. However these days, I’ve no longer most effective established myself once more to stroll with dignity in society but additionally construct a just right long term for my long term generations,” he provides, reflecting on his adventure since 2003.
Sangrur Based totally Soybean Processor S. Bachittar Singh Garcha Awareded with SFPWA’s Prestigious Award- Soy Beverage of the Yr 2023: Printed via Punjab Agricultural College on 4 July 2023.
Edited via Padmashree Pande. All pictures: Bachchattar Singh.