{"id":4562,"date":"2016-08-22T16:15:01","date_gmt":"2016-08-22T10:45:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.barusahib.org\/?p=4562"},"modified":"2024-11-21T15:44:19","modified_gmt":"2024-11-21T10:14:19","slug":"this-singh-is-known-as-the-cucumber-king-in-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/this-singh-is-known-as-the-cucumber-king-in-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"This SINGH is known as the Cucumber King in Canada"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/this-singh-is-known-as-the-cucumber-king-in-canada\/#Paramjit_Singh_Minhass_Journey_to_Farming_in_Canada\" >Paramjit Singh Minhas\u2019s Journey to Farming in Canada<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/this-singh-is-known-as-the-cucumber-king-in-canada\/#Becoming_the_Largest_Indian_Cucumber_Farmer_in_Canada\" >Becoming the Largest Indian Cucumber Farmer in Canada<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/this-singh-is-known-as-the-cucumber-king-in-canada\/#The_Growth_of_Minhas_Cucumber_Business\" >The Growth of Minhas\u2019 Cucumber Business<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/this-singh-is-known-as-the-cucumber-king-in-canada\/#A_Journey_from_8_to_a_Multi-Million-Dollar_Agro-Business\" >A Journey from $8 to a Multi-Million-Dollar Agro-Business<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/this-singh-is-known-as-the-cucumber-king-in-canada\/#Minhas_Greenhouse_Farm_Becomes_a_Popular_Model_for_Visitors\" >Minhas\u2019 Greenhouse Farm Becomes a Popular Model for Visitors<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/this-singh-is-known-as-the-cucumber-king-in-canada\/#Minhas_Vision_for_Punjabs_Agricultural_Future\" >Minhas\u2019 Vision for Punjab\u2019s Agricultural Future<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Paramjit_Singh_Minhass_Journey_to_Farming_in_Canada\"><\/span>Paramjit Singh Minhas\u2019s Journey to Farming in Canada<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When young farmer Paramjit Singh Minhas from Kouhja village near Adampur in Punjab landed in Toronto in 1981, he never thought he would take up farming again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut there were hardly any jobs at that time. The only work I could find was that of a labourer on a cucumber greenhouse farm. I worked there for a few years years. When its owner wanted to get out, I took the farm on rent,\u2019\u2019 says Singh, narrating his first steps in Canada.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Becoming_the_Largest_Indian_Cucumber_Farmer_in_Canada\"><\/span>Becoming the Largest Indian Cucumber Farmer in Canada<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There has been no looking for Minhas since then and today he is the biggest Indian cucumber farmer in Canada.<\/p>\n<p>His state-of-the-art 12-acre greenhouse over his 130-acre farm property at Hamilton near Toronto produces over 700,000 packages of what is known as English cucumber which is sold at giant Canadian stores such as Walmart, Costco, Metro, Sobeys and Loblows.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Growth_of_Minhas_Cucumber_Business\"><\/span>The Growth of Minhas\u2019 Cucumber Business<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>\u201cAs of now, we have a turnover of over $4.5 million and we are growing fast. My two sons have joined me after their education and we are adding six more acres to our greenhouse by the end of this year,\u2019\u2019 says Singh as he walks inside the cozy greenhouse.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_Journey_from_8_to_a_Multi-Million-Dollar_Agro-Business\"><\/span>A Journey from $8 to a Multi-Million-Dollar Agro-Business<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For a man who came to Canada with just 8 dollars in his pocket 35 years ago, his face brims with pride as he narrates his journey to his multi-million-dollar agro-business.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI learnt this business as a farmhand and then I took my landlord\u2019s greenhouse on rent. By 1996, I had got the experience and money. So I bought the land and started my own greenhouse farm on three acres. We kept buying land and increasing the size of the greenhouse. Today, we have 12 acres of greenhouse on our 130-acre property,\u2019\u2019 says the cucumber king.<\/p>\n<p>As his over two dozen workers tend to his crop, Singh explains, \u201cCucumber can be grown only in greenhouse environment because it needs about 21-22 degrees of temperature and drip irrigation. It is a pretty capital-intensive operation\u2026we produce round the year.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Minhas_Greenhouse_Farm_Becomes_a_Popular_Model_for_Visitors\"><\/span>Minhas\u2019 Greenhouse Farm Becomes a Popular Model for Visitors<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>His model greenhouse farm has become so famous that anybody from Punjab Agriculture University coming to Toronto never returns without visiting him.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo many people from PAU come here. Former PAU vice chancellor Khem Singh Gill came thrice to visit us. He was very impressed with our greenhouse operations and asked me to help Punjab in this field.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Minhas_Vision_for_Punjabs_Agricultural_Future\"><\/span>Minhas\u2019 Vision for Punjab\u2019s Agricultural Future<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Minhas says he would like to do something for Punjab. \u201cBut as you know, NRI people are a little scared of investing there because of all the problems.\u2019\u2019<\/p>\n<p>With water levels in Punjab dipping alarmingly, he says greenhouse farming can be a boon for farmers in the state.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBecause of water problems, Punjab should encourage farmer to grow other crops and vegetables. if the Punjab government subsidies greenhouses, farmer can grow tomatoes, eggplants, cucumber, lettuces and peppers on a large scale. It will create thousands and thousands of jobs for others as well. But no leader listens there,\u2019\u2019 says Minhas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paramjit Singh Minhas\u2019s Journey to Farming in Canada When young farmer Paramjit Singh Minhas from Kouhja village near Adampur in Punjab landed in Toronto in 1981, he never thought he would take up farming again. \u201cBut there were hardly any jobs at that time. The only work I could find was that of a labourer [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/This-SINGH-is-known-as-the-Cucumber-King-in-Canada.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-4562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-honour-and-respect","post_format-post-format-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4562"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4562\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4693,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4562\/revisions\/4693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4564"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4562"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/barusahib.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=4562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}