This Bihar Farmer Learned a West Bengal Technique to Grow Rice in Peak Summer, and It Changed His Fortunes In Jamui district's Mangobandar village, farmer Dhruv Kumar Singh has grown garma paddy during the summer season, an unusual move that now lets him harvest three crops a year instead of two. A farmer in Bihar's Jamui district has pulled off something most people wouldn't dare attempt in peak summer. Dhruv Kumar Singh, who lives in Mangobandar village under Khaira block, has grown a crop of garma paddy on his farmland. Paddy is normally cultivated during the monsoon season, but garma paddy is grown in the summer months and demands far more effort than a regular season crop. An idea from his father, a technique learned in Bengal Singh says farming has run in his family for generations. The idea of growing garma paddy came to him one day from his father, after which he decided he too would cultivate paddy through the summer. Knowing the idea alone wasn't enough, he travelled to West Bengal to learn the finer points of the technique before returning home to start preparing his field. The hunt for seeds, and help from an elderly man According to Singh, his biggest challenge was arranging seeds for garma paddy. He reached out to several large seed stores and other shopkeepers across the district, but none of them had the seed in stock. In the end, an elderly man who had carefully preserved the seed came to his aid. Once he got the seed from him, Singh prepared its nursery. No labourers showed up, so he did it himself Singh had planned to raise the crop across roughly 2 bigha and had readied paddy seedlings for that much land. But when it came time to transplant them, he could not find any labourers. Rather than give up, he and one other person worked together to prepare the field themselves, eventually transplanting the paddy across about 4 kattha of land. Ready to harvest in a week, and three crops a year The crop is now on the verge of forming panicles and looks all set to ripen. Singh says the paddy should be ready for harvest in about a week. The biggest gain from this experiment, he says, is that he can now grow three crops of paddy in a single year, while most other farmers in the area manage only two. Already preparing for the next crop, bigger plans for next year Even before harvesting the current crop, Singh has begun preparing seedlings for his next round of paddy. He says that by the time these seedlings are ready to be transplanted, his field will also be ready to receive them. Singh added that he is now planning to expand garma paddy cultivation on an even larger scale next year. What this means for you • Across India: If more farmers take up off-season cultivation like garma paddy, it could push up overall rice output and open up additional income opportunities for farming families. • In Jamui: Dhruv Kumar Singh's experiment gives other farmers in Khaira block a practical example of raising three paddy crops a year instead of the usual two. Questions & Answers 1. Where does Dhruv Kumar Singh live? He lives in Mangobandar village under Khaira block in Bihar's Jamui district. 2. What crop has he grown? He has grown garma paddy on his farmland, a rice crop normally cultivated during the summer season. 3. How did he manage to get seeds for the crop? After large seed stores and shopkeepers across the district failed to have the seed, an elderly man who had preserved it eventually provided it to him. 4. How much land did he actually transplant paddy on? Unable to find labourers to complete his planned 2 bigha, he and one other person transplanted paddy across roughly 4 kattha instead. 5. When will this crop be ready for harvest? With panicles about to form, he says the paddy should be ready for harvest in about a week. 6. What benefit has garma paddy farming given him? It lets him grow three paddy crops in a year, compared to the two crops most other farmers in the area typically manage. 7. What are his plans going forward? He is already preparing seedlings for his next paddy crop and plans to expand garma paddy cultivation on a larger scale next year. Inspiration & Lessons • Take family experience seriously: Singh acted on a casual suggestion from his father and turned it into a genuine experiment. • Don't shy away from learning firsthand: instead of relying on the idea alone, he travelled to West Bengal to understand the technique in detail. • Keep searching through setbacks: when seed wasn't available anywhere nearby, he kept looking until an elderly man helped him out. • Find a way even when resources are short: with no labourers available, he rolled up his sleeves and transplanted the crop himself with one helper. • Start small, think big: beginning with just 4 kattha, Singh is now planning to scale up cultivation significantly next year. https://trendkia.com/en/success-stories/bengal-se-sikhi-takanika-jamui-ke-kisana-ne-garmi-men-ugaya-dhana-aura-badala-di-apani-takadira-7874 TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.