BURJ (TARN TARAN): A 45-year-old farmer who saw an opportunity in eco-friendly methods of straw management last year is hoping to earn around ₹2 crore from his business of operating baler machines in paddy fields.
A resident of Jagdev Kalan village of Amritsar district, Amarjit Singh owns only 13 acres.
He has seven tractors, two trailers, three baler machines and four cutters, which are currently being operated at Burj village near Chabhal in Tarn Taran district and Lehragaga in Sangrur district. A baler machine is a compacting device that uses a ram to compact and compress materials into rectangular bales that can be shipped, stored, sent on for further processing, or recycled.
Amarjit who was seen working with his two sons in a field at Burj village on Saturday, said: “First we saw the baler machines working in the fields and we got the bales by hiring these machines operated by others. When we faced shortage of the machines, we decided to purchase our own. When I started working with my machine in the last paddy season, my experience was good. It encouraged me to expand the business and purchase more machines under the guidance of the Punjab agriculture department officials, including chief agriculture officer Jatinder Singh Gill.”
“I have invested ₹2 crore to expand my business. Last year, we purchased the machine in a group and got a subsidy of ₹2.5 lakh. This year, I purchased the machines on my own and availed ₹7.5 lakh subsidy”, he said, adding: “By collecting the bails with use of these machines, I sell them to a Chabhal-based Sukhbir Agro Power Plant and in Ferozepur district and Bio CNG plant of Verbio India Pvt Ltd at Lehragaga,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“I have invested ₹2 crore to expand my business. Last year, we purchased the machine in a group and got a subsidy of ₹2.5 lakh. This year, I purchased the machines on my own and availed ₹7.5 lakh subsidy”, he said, adding: “By collecting the bails with use of these machines, I sell them to a Chabhal-based Sukhbir Agro Power Plant and in Ferozepur district and Bio CNG plant of Verbio India Pvt Ltd at Lehragaga,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“I earn ₹3,000 from one acre of paddy straw. In last season, I earned ₹15 lakh excluding all costs. As we plan to run the business on a large scale this season, we are hoping that we will earn up to ₹2 crore,” he added.