Kanwal Singh Chauhan is an Indian farmer from

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

, India. He is known for his contributions to crop diversification in the agriculture industry. In January 2019, he was awarded

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

, India's fourth highest civilian award. He was honoured with N. G.Ranga Farmer Award 2010 by

Indian Council of Agricultural Research The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is an autonomous body responsible for co-ordinating agricultural education and research in India. It reports to the Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Ministry of Agriculture. Th ...

in August 2011.

Biography

Kanwal Singh Chauhan was raised in Aterna, a village in

Sonipat district Sonipat district is one of the 22 districts of Haryana state in northern India. Sonipat town is the district headquarters. It is a part of National Capital Region. It is bordered by Delhi, Panipat, Rohtak, Jind, Jhajjar and Baghpat (Uttar Pr ...

. Chauhan began farming at the age of 15. In 1997 he began farming

baby corn Baby corn (also known as young corn, cornlettes, child corn or baby sweetcorn) is a cereal grain taken from corn (maize) harvested early while the stalks are still small and immature. It typically is eaten whole—including the cob, which is o ...

at a time when the main source of the vegetable was imports from Thailand at the price of ₹4000 per kg. He introduced baby corn to the region and began selling it at a price of ₹70 per kg. By 2009, he had expanded into the production of canned baby corn as well as exports. His business, which started as a one-man enterprise, grew to employ over 200 employees by 2019. He also established a fair price system for farmers growing mushroom, babycorn, sweetcorn and tomato. In 2001, he founded the Gulab Fruits & Vegetable Growers & Marketing Cooperative Society in Sonipat, a cooperative dedicated to the production, marketing, and export of vegetables such as baby corn, sweet corn, mushrooms, and broccoli. The cooperative conducts various training programs to promote agricultural diversification in India. In 2012, it established a processing unit for the canning and sale of vegetables, minimising waste. Chauhan also founded the Integrated Unit for Mushroom Development in 2008, a mushroom manufacturing business. In light of the

2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest The 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protest was a protest against three farm acts that were passed by the Parliament of India in September 2020. The acts, often called the Farm Bills, had been described as "anti-farmer laws" by many farmer unions, ...

against agricultural deregulation, Chauhan spoke in favour of the

Modi government The premiership of Narendra Modi began 26 May 2014 with his First swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi, swearing-in as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He succeeded Manmohan Singh of the Indian N ...

's actions, saying that farmers' concerns were "misguided. After extending support to the government over the new farm laws, he received threat calls from unidentified callers. He is the President of

Sonipat Sonipat is a planned industrial city and administrative headquarter in Sonipat district of Haryana state of India. It comes under the National Capital Region and is around from New Delhi. It lies 214 km (128 miles) southwest of Chandigar ...

's Progressive Farmers Club.

Awards and recognition

* He was awarded India's fourth highest civilian award

in 2019. * In 2010, he was conferred with the NG Ranga Farmer Award for diversification in agriculture by the

(ICAR), the

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare ( ), formerly the Ministry of Agriculture, is a branch of the Government of India and the apex body for formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws related to agriculture ...

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. * He received the Mahindra Krishi Samrat Award - 2015 by

Mahindra Tractors Mahindra Tractors is an Indian agricultural machinery manufacturer. It is part of the Mahindra & Mahindra corporation. In 2010, Mahindra became the world's highest-selling tractor brand by volume. Mahindra's largest consumer base is in India. I ...

. * He was awarded the AIFA Progressive Farmer Award 2017 by the All India Farmers Alliance (AIFA) and

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chauhan, Kanwal Singh Indian activists 21st-century Indian farmers Recipients of the Padma Shri People from Haryana Year of birth missing (living people) Living people

Biography

Awards and recognition

See also

References