Ashutosh Singh quits job, embraces organic farming & tech

Ashutosh Pratap Singh is a resident of Gavan in Uttar Pradesh. He started his education and career in the field of sales and marketing in major companies of India. After working in 8 states of the country for 17 years, in 2018 he decided to leave the post of Senior Manager and return to his village.

Due to the Ganges river and fertile land near his village, he thought of commercializing agriculture. His family also had a deep connection with farming, which inspired him to work in this field. Ashutosh returned to the village and decided to adopt new technology in agriculture, so that he could not only improve his life, but also become an example for the farmers around him.

Left job worth lakhs and started farming

Ashutosh Singh says that the river Ganga flows near his village, where fertile land and abundant availability of water showed him a new direction in farming. Along with this, the proximity to Delhi and the possibility of easy access to the markets there also inspired him to enter the agricultural sector. He believed that more profit can be earned by using new technology in agriculture.

His family was already doing farming in a traditional way, and this was also an important reason for his interest in farming. He believed that if farmers continue to do farming in the old ways, then there will be no significant change in their income. Traditional farming has limited resources and low production, due to which farmers are not able to get the right price. Thinking this, he decided to adopt new technology in agriculture. The purpose of this change was not only to improve his life but also to make the surrounding farmers understand that new technology in agriculture can give better results and more income.

Use of new technologies in crops

Ashutosh Singh has been farming for the last 6 years and has adopted new technology in agriculture. He believes that adopting new technology and scientific methods in agriculture can improve production and increase the income of farmers. He has used modern techniques like vermicompost, bioenzyme, reverse flow, multilayered farming and co-cropping. With the help of these techniques, he is farming in a more advanced and effective way.

In co-cropping, Ashutosh Singh cultivates mentha, onion, urad, rose, marigold and other flowers along with sugarcane. This technique not only gives him higher yields but also maintains the health of the soil. Apart from this, he can easily sell his products in different markets due to the diversity of crops.

By adopting new technology in agriculture, he has cultivated different types of crops on 20 acres of land. Vegetables are grown in 5 acres, lemon orchard in 1 acre, and vermicompost unit has been set up in half an acre. Apart from this, there is horticulture in 1 acre, mixed cropping model of sugarcane in half an acre, Napier animal feed and organic training school in half an acre. Also, organic tonic unit is working as an important part of his farming.

This diversity has not only increased his income, but it also gives him an opportunity to understand different aspects of agriculture.

Medicines and fertilizers for crops

Initially, Ashutosh Singh mainly used cow dung obtained from animals as fertilizer for his crops. This was a traditional method, but with time he decided to adopt new technology in agriculture to make farming more efficient. After this, he started making vermicompost, which proved to be an excellent option to improve soil quality and promote crop growth. Along with this, he also prepared vermiwash, which he uses in his crops to increase the immunity of plants and maintain their health.

The idea of ​​setting up a vermicompost unit came to his mind after searching for information related to agriculture on the Internet. He did a thorough research on this subject and saw that crop productivity can be increased by organic manure and natural methods. The information he got from the Internet helped him further in this direction, and he adopted these techniques in his farming. Now he also uses organic products like bioenzymes, neem and moringa tonic in his crops, which not only nourish the crops but also protect them.

Modern technology adopted in Agriculture

Ashutosh Singh started SSRI model based farming in 2019, which was an important part of new technology in agriculture. In the same year, he developed the shade model of Ridge Gourd on Vermicompost Unit and started growing horticulture and vegetables under the multilayer model. After this, in 2020, he adopted the sugarcane joint crop 8-6 model, which was going to improve crop diversity and land use. 

In 2020 itself, he established Buland Farmers Organic School and started production of organic jaggery. Also, Napier also adopted animal feed management. In 2021, he established Buland Farmers Development Trust and distributed nutrition kits to 1000 severely malnourished children in 2023.

In 2022, Ashutosh ji started a biochemical production unit, and in 2023 started an ice cream production unit from sugarcane juice and pure milk. Same year, he formed Rajpura Sambhal Producer Company Limited FPO and established Peelz Factory Pvt Ltd in 2024. With these initiatives, he has given a new direction to agriculture and processing industry.

Income and profit

Ashutosh Singh’s income has been as follows:

• 2019-20 – 6 lakhs
• In 2020-21 – 12 lakhs
• 2021-22 – 8 lakhs
• In 2022-23 – 15 lakhs
• In 2023-24 – 25 lakhs

Ashutosh Singh says that apart from farming, he also has an ice cream plant, from which he earns a total annual income of up to Rs 25 lakhs.

Honors and Awards

Ashutosh Singh has received many awards for his excellent work, such as:

• District level award for organic wheat in 2020
• At District level first prize for organic farming in 2022
• District level first prize for organic and natural farming in 2023

Krishi Vishisht Samman, Sardar Vallabhbhai Agricultural University Meerut

District level first prize for innovation in 2024

Honor for organic farming from First Secretary of Japan Embassy in 2024

Honor for innovation from Horticulture Minister Shri Dinesh Pratap Singh in 2024

Market and Marketing

Ashutosh Singh promotes his farming and products mainly through social media, especially using YouTube and Facebook. On these platforms, he shares information about his products and tries to connect with people. Apart from this, he also promotes his products by participating in various agricultural fairs, which gives him direct feedback from farmers and consumers.

Ashutosh Singh believes in Vocal for Local and hence he markets his products especially within a radius of 25 kilometers. He believes that selling products in the nearest market easily builds consumer trust about the quality and reliability of the product. This strategy has not only helped him establish good business relations, but also gives him better profits.

By adopting new technology in agriculture, his success and influence is constantly increasing, and he believes that this method can prove beneficial for other farmers as well.

Work done in society and Agriculture Sector

Ashutosh Singh has done many important works for the society, such as:

Represented Moradabad division in the sugarcane farmer dialogue with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in 2022.

• In 2020-21, under the Namami Gange scheme, farmers of Meerut, Hapur and Aligarh were trained in organic farming.
• In 2022, under the CSR scheme of HDFC Bank, BPL women groups in 15 villages of Bulandshahr district were trained in organic manure and organic vegetable growing.
• 2023, 30 women groups in Gangeshwari tehsil of Amroha district were trained in organic farming and small scale industries sponsored by NABARD.
• In 2024, 1000 farmers were trained in organic farming.

Ashutosh Singh has made farmers aware through many other activities, such as Master Trainer Certificate (NCOF), unit of biochemical production, and marketing of goods produced by women groups. The impact of new technology in agriculture can also be seen in these aspects, as he has constantly educated farmers about these latest methods.

His advice to farmers

Ashutosh Singh believes that it is very important for the youth to be involved in farming. He says that today’s youth have a good store of new techniques and information, which they can apply in farming and earn good profits. He explains that more profit and self-reliance can be achieved from farming than from a job. The youth should come back to the village and use new technology in agriculture and look for ways to earn more income by moving away from traditional methods. In this way, they can improve not only their own but the economic condition of the entire village.

Future Plans

Ashutosh Singh’s main objective is to increase the income of farmers by reducing their costs. He believes that if farmers are able to reduce their costs, it can make a big difference in their total income. Along with this, he also plans to deliver his products as far as possible through food processing, so that farmers can get new markets and earn more profits. Through this process, he wants to provide more employment opportunities to farmers, so that more people can improve their economic condition by joining the agricultural sector.

Ashutosh Singh believes that only by adopting new technology in agriculture, we can achieve professionalism and high productivity in the agriculture sector. He emphasizes on getting maximum benefit from crops through food processing and value addition. Along with this, his another objective is to establish an organization that can sell and market agricultural products, so that farmers can sell their products at good prices. 

Along with this, he wants to create an organization where farmers grow crops, women’s groups do food processing and the youth get involved in marketing, so that everyone can get employment and there is collective development in the agriculture sector. Apart from this, Ashutosh Singh is also working towards promoting poison-free farming through new technology in agriculture, so that both the environment and health can be protected along with farming.

Conclusion

The story of Ashutosh Pratap Singh is an inspiration, which proves that by adopting new technology in agriculture, traditional farming can be given a new dimension. He not only saw farming as a business, but has also taken many important steps to increase the income of farmers, create employment and save the environment.

His hard work and innovations have not only improved his own life, but he is also inspiring others to achieve success in the agricultural sector. His efforts make it clear that by investing in the right direction of new technology in agriculture and collective efforts, any farmer can improve his condition.