In 2024, Dilpreet Singh, a humble farmer from Rajpura in Punjab’s Sangrur district, made headlines in niche agricultural circles by successfully exporting 14.3 tones of ready-to-eat millets to Australia. These were not your average grains. Carefully processed, vacuum-sealed, and shelf-stable for over two years, they represented the convergence of tradition and innovation.
But this was just the beginning.
Armed with insights gathered from Australian agricultural practices and consumer trends, Dilpreet returned home with a bold mission: to break Punjab’s long-standing dependency on the wheat-paddy cycle – a cycle that has depleted groundwater, exhausted the soil, and left farmers financially vulnerable.
Fuelled by Vision, Grounded in Soil
While most farmers continued the conventional route, Dilpreet chose to challenge the status quo. “There had to be a better way,” he often says. For him, that way was millets – bajra, ragi, jowar – climate-resilient, nutritionally rich, and gaining popularity among health-conscious consumers around the world.
But growing millets was only part of the plan. Inspired by what he had seen in Australia – value addition, clean labeling, packaging standards – Dilpreet invested in a processing and packaging unit right on his farm. His aim? To not just grow food, but to create products ready for international shelves.
Overcoming Global Challenges with Local Ingenuity
One major hurdle stood in his path. To meet export standards, his millets had to be non-germinable – a difficult feat, especially in India’s climate. After months of experimentation, Dilpreet developed a custom-built steaming and dehydration unit that neutralized germination enzymes while retaining nutrition. Combined with vacuum packaging, this process extended shelf life from just three months to over two years.
He wasn’t just growing crops anymore – he was innovating technology, building systems, and opening up global markets.
Changing the Narrative in Punjab
Back home, his success is becoming a quiet revolution. He’s not just an exporter. He’s a voice, calling for a paradigm shift in Punjab’s agricultural landscape. He regularly speaks to local farmers, encouraging them to diversify, conserve water, and tap into the growing global demand for healthy, gluten-free grains.
“Australia showed me what’s possible,” Dilpreet says. “But Punjab gave me the purpose.”
His story is slowly altering the mindset of an entire generation of farmers – teaching them that you don’t have to move to cities or switch professions to succeed. You can innovate in your own field, quite literally.
Let’s Rethink Farming
Dilpreet’s journey invites us to rethink agriculture – not as a sector in crisis, but as one brimming with possibility. The change won’t come from policies alone. It will come from farmers like him who dare to dream, experiment, and lead.
He is, in every sense, the face of a new green revolution – one that values sustainability over subsidy, innovation over imitation, and courage over convention.
Let us listen. Let us learn. And most of all, let us spread the word. Because somewhere in Punjab, a farmer is not just growing food. He’s growing the future.
