From Debt to Dignity: How a Young Marginal Farmer built a farming empire by growing off-season Kaddu, tori, matar, and Lobhiya

Indian Express

11-05-2025

In Punjab's Thuthianwali village (Mansa), 25-year-old Harpreet Singh Sidhu aka Happy, once buried under ₹12 lakh debt and living in a crumbling home without even a ceiling fan, has turned his life around through off-season vegetable farming in just few years. With grit and hardwork, this marginal farmer transformed personal and financial ruin into a story of success—proving that even small landholdings can yield big returns like Rs. 6-7 lakh per acre with the right effort.
Harpreet's turning point came after tragedy struck—his elder brother was killed over a petty dispute, and the legal battle, which they won, that followed drained the family's savings. They sold gold, cattle, and land, forcing Harpreet to quit school after 10+1 and take up tent installation work for ₹600 a day. Despite the mounting debt and daily pressure from moneylenders, grocers, who would show up daily to demand their money, he refused to give up.
In 2017, at just 17, Harpreet broke away from daily-wage work and traditional farming of wheat and Paddy to try off-season vegetable cultivation on 1.3 acre—the only land not mortgaged. Despite his parents' doubts, he borrowed ₹30,000 and grew Kaddu (pumpkin), tori (ridge gourd), zucchini, and matar (green peas) in off-season windows. The gamble paid off: he earned ₹6 lakh in 10 months from these vegetables and repaid ₹5 lakh in debt. 'Thankfully, my uncle returned the mortgaged land without transferring it to his name,' he said. By his second year, 80% of the debt was gone—until COVID-19 hit.
The 2020 lockdown brought Harpreet's progress to a halt—vegetables rotted unsold, and the family bartered them for wheat but no income. But he didn't give up. In late 2021, a friend, Gurpyar, leased him 0.75 acres rent-free, even covering diesel costs. Harpreet later repaid everything—except, he says, 'the man's greatness.'
By 2023, he had reclaimed all three acres and rebuilt his crumbling home. In 2024, he moved into a new 10-marla house.
How he could do all this in just few years? His trick? Off-season crops.
'When the usual matar (green peas) season in Punjab ends in November, I sow them in tunnels. By early January, I start harvesting, and by that time, the market rates are excellent. From just one acre, I sold matar worth at least ₹2.20 lakh. After meeting the input cost of around ₹50,000, I earned ₹1.70 lakh from matar alone,' Harpreet explains.
'In the same field, I then sow an advance crop of lobhiya (cowpea), which is ready by March. I manage to sell around 70–80 quintals of green lobhiya at ₹80 to ₹100 per kg, earning a total of ₹7–8 lakh. After expenses, I make a profit of at least ₹4-5 lakh. After harvesting this crop in May, I sow lobhiya again in the same field but this time the yield is little less and rate is also little down but still quite profitable.'
He continues, 'On the remaining two acres, I grow wheat for self-consumption on half an acre. The rest is used for vegetables like off season Kaddu (pumpkin), Tori (ridge gourd) zucchini, karela (bitter gourd), capsicum, tomato, bitter and pickle chillies, chappan kaddu, and ladyfinger (bhindi). My vegetable season starts in November and goes on till the end of September on two acres, and on remaining mone acres it ends in June month, depending on the crop.'
'In June, I sow either Basmati or PR-126 paddy on one acre, which I harvest by early October. For around the next two months—October and November—I give the fields rest and prepare nurseries for the next vegetable cycle,' said Harpreet.
He emphasizes the economic advantage: 'Some vegetables can be harvested over 8–9 months depending on how you manage them. Their yield is 8 to 10 times higher than wheat or paddy. For example, pumpkin and several other vegetables can give you around 200 to 300 quintals per acre over several months, while wheat yields only about 20 quintals per acre.'
Harpreet grows most of his vegetables off-season, earning premium prices. His parents—Paramjit Kaur and Khushwinder Singh—are his backbone. While his father sells vegetables at a roadside stall near Mansa railway fatak, Harpreet makes 3–4 supply runs daily. His mother helps harvest the produce with a few labourers, and they even send fresh vegetables to Chandigarh by bus.
Starting his day at 5 AM, Harpreet uses tools like Google Pay to connect with loyal buyers. 'My mother once lived in a house without a fan. Today, she has an AC room—but still prefers the fields,' he says with pride. 'She even gifted me an iPhone, which I now use to make farming videos. It's not luxury—it's dignity.'
'I gained all my knowledge by attending numerous Kisan Melas in Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi,' he adds. Today, Harpreet mentors others in maximizing profits from small landholdings through off-season and smart vegetable farming.
'I tell every farmer: give me one or two years, and I'll help you become debt-free. But you must work hard.'
With plans to buy more land and a vision to uplift every marginal farmer willing to learn, Harpreet Singh Sidhu is on a mission—to make every small and marginal farmer in Punjab debt-free.
Eom