{
  "id": 19899877,
  "title": "Returned from Greece, Punjab man builds Rs 2 crore sugarcane business",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/returned-from-greece-punjab-man-builds-rs-2-crore-sugarcane-business",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-11-14T01:26:32.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/people/meet-hargurjit-singh-minhas-who-returned-to-punjab-after-eight-years-in-greece-and-built-a-sugarcane-business-reporting-rs-2-crore-revenue-and-rs-60-65-lakh-net-earnings/articleshow/135795547.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hargurjit Singh Minhas, a 36-year-old farmer from Jalandhar's Daroli Kalan village, returned to his native Punjab after working in Greece for eight years. He decided to explore farming on his family's land, eventually building a sugarcane-based agricultural enterprise that spans 60 acres and generates an annual revenue of over Rs 2 crore with net earnings of Rs 60-65 lakh.\n\nMinhas's approach to farming includes cultivating sugarcane on his 60-acre land, interspersed with various intercrops like wheat, gram, peas, and mustard to create multiple income sources. He uses a mechanised harvesting and transportation service, investing around Rs 2 crore in the equipment, which allows him to harvest and transport around 1,000 quintals of sugarcane per day, saving farmers time and labour costs.\n\nThe farmer's method of planting sugarcane using a trench-based system with a single-eye bud technique reduces the amount of seed cane required, from nearly 30 quintals per acre to approximately 1.5 quintals. Minhas cultivates Coimbatore selections and Punjab varieties such as PB 96 and PB 98, as well as Co 20016. Water consumption for his sugarcane is estimated to be approximately half that of traditional paddy cultivation, despite an extended growing season.\n\nMinhas charges between Rs 70 and Rs 100 per quintal for his harvesting and transportation services, depending on the distance to the sugar mill. In the previous season, he processed 45,000 quintals for other farmers, and this year, he aims to harvest more than one lakh quintals. With an estimated profit of Rs 24-25 lakh after expenses, Minhas has successfully transformed his land into a profitable agricultural business.",
  "summary": "After spending eight years in Greece, Hargurjit Singh Minhas has returned to Punjab with a vision to revolutionize farming. He cultivated 60 acres with a focus on sugarcane, integrating innovative planting techniques and intercropping. This enhanced productivity allows him to provide harvesting services to neighboring farmers, effectively boosting his income and transforming his family's land…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}