On a prime 5-acre parcel along Amritsar’s bustling National Highway—land that many developers value at billions—Navtej Singh sees a legacy of tradition rather than a real estate bonanza. Once a computer engineer, Singh has returned to his roots in Verka village, embracing organic farming as both a personal mission and a commercial venture.
The transformation began during the Covid pandemic, when Singh, like many, reassessed his priorities. “I realized that nature, health, and quality food are irreplaceable,” he recalls. Leaving behind his tech career, he committed to cultivating traditional crops without chemical interventions, reconnecting with practices passed down by his ancestors.
Since 2020, Singh has shifted away from chemical-based methods, experimenting with indigenous varieties of wheat and rice. “I have cultivated ragi and other millets, but I realized that wheat and rice are staples in our daily diet. These should be organic and natural,” he explained. In his fields, the focus is on Sona Moti wheat and Pakistani Basmati rice—varieties that not only boast enhanced nutritional value, flavor, and aroma, but also hark back to a time when farmers preserved their own seeds rather than relying on commercial, high-yielding hybrids.
However, organic cultivation is not without its challenges. While conventional wheat yields around 20 quintals per acre, Sona Moti produces only 6 quintals per acre. Pakistani Basmati rice fares slightly better at 10-12 quintals per acre. Weed management, achieved through painstaking manual labor instead of chemical herbicides, further escalates costs. Yet for Singh, these hurdles are minor compared to the benefits. Health-conscious consumers are willing to pay a premium for produce that is both pure and sustainable.
“Instead of a family doctor, urban dwellers need a family farmer, someone who provides organic food,” Singh noted. He is in the process of launching his own brand and has applied for certification from the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI). As environmental challenges mount and public health concerns grow, Singh’s approach underscores a broader call for a return to nature-centric practices in agriculture.
In an era where urban development and high-tech innovations often eclipse traditional practices, Navtej Singh’s journey serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring value of organic farming. His efforts not only preserve an ancestral legacy but also offer a sustainable blueprint for future food security and well-being in an increasingly industrialized world.
