Sonipat (Haryana): Kanwal Singh Chauhan, a farmer from Aterna village in Sonepat in Haryana was conferred the Padma Shri in 2019 for his contribution in the field of agriculture and recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi quoted his example while speaking to citizens in 'Mann ki Baat' programme.
Chauhan is a farmer entrepreneur who didn't just introduce baby corn to the region, but also established a profitable market for the farmers.
While speaking to ETV Bharat, Chouhan explained about his innovative and creative practices.
"I began farming when I was 15. But it was only in 1997 when I decided to give baby corn farming a try. There were perhaps no baby corn farmers in India at the time, and the vegetable was being imported from Thailand for restaurants and hotels. Those were priced at Rs 4000 per kg. When I started out, most people in my village dissuaded me, saying it wouldn’t be as profitable as wheat or paddy," Chouhan said.
“That seemed to slowly elicit interest, first amidst my neighbours and then slowly across the entire village. Today, we have 5,000 farmers pursuing baby corn farming from Sonepat,” he said.
Baby Corn Farming in 15-20 villages
In 1999, there came a time when nobody wanted to buy baby corn. That is the time when Kanwal Singh decided to start his own industry. In 2009, he set-up the first Processing Industries Unit; followed by a second unit in 2012, the third unit in 2016 and the fourth unit in 2019.
All these units are engaged in Baby corn processing work. Besides this, sweet corn, mushroom and tomatoes are also processed.
Presently, Kanwal Singh provides employment to 400 people, amongst whom, there are mostly women.
A journey from a Progressive farmer to Padma Shri awardee
Kanwal Singh Chauhan said that when he produced baby corn for the first time, he went to Delhi’s INA market, Khan Market, Sarojini Nagar market and five star hotels. As production was excessive, markets were buying less. Then he started selling baby corn in Azadpur market.
PM Modi praises Chouhan in ‘Mann Ki Baat’
Kanwal Singh Chauhan was awarded the Padma Shri in 2019 for his agricultural work. PM Modi shared his story through ‘Mann ki Baat’. He said that there is a farmer in Sonipat district; his name is Kanwal Singh Chauhan. He explained how there was a time when it was difficult to sell fruits and vegetables outside the depot; if somebody sold his produce like fruits and vegetables outside the depot then several times it would so happen that his products, as well as his vehicle, would be seized. But in 2014, fruits and vegetables were removed from the APMC Act. This greatly benefitted Kanwal Singh and the neighbouring farmers.
Exports to England and America
When the production of baby corn and sweet corn increased in the village, then, in order to ensure that farmers do not face problems in selling their produce in the market, Kanwal Singh started a food processing unit in 2009. Set-up in an approximate land area of 2 acres, this unit produces almost eight kinds of products including baby corn, sweet corn, pineapple, fruit cocktail, mushroom button and mushroom slices. Presently, this unit exports 1.5 tonnes of baby corn and other vegetables on a daily basis to England and America.
